OHare Mesh is an independent local project focused on building practical MeshCore coverage in the Chicago suburbs, starting in the O’Hare corridor.
MeshCore is an open-source, off-grid LoRa radio system that lets people send short text messages without cell towers, Wi-Fi, or the internet. It keeps working when conventional networks are congested or down. This site exists to help grow useful local coverage, one node and one repeater at a time.
How this started
I live near O’Hare, I started with a simple companion node out of curiosity. There was no activity. I put up a house repeater expecting it would solve the problem. It didn’t. The network across the northwest suburbs, especially around O’Hare, is still thin. There are impressive pockets of coverage, but large gaps leave many of us on an island.
That gap is what pushed this project forward.
What this project is
- Independent and local
- Focused on the O’Hare corridor and surrounding northwest suburbs
- Practical guides, real coverage notes, and encouragement for more repeaters and nodes
- Guided by everyone, open to anyone who wants to help connect the area
What this project is not
- Not an official ChiMesh site or branch
- Not a commercial service
- Not a centralized organization
We fully support the broader ChiMesh (Chicagoland Mesh) community and the MeshCore protocol (MeshCore). We share the same goals of resilient, community-built communication. We are simply an independent local effort working to strengthen coverage where we live, with the end goal of supporting both the local community and the wider Chicagoland Mesh mission.
If you’re already running a node, thinking about putting up a repeater, or just want to understand how MeshCore works, you’re in the right place.
OHare Mesh 