Hardware comparison and possible buggy hardware

Hi all,

I am new here and spent the day reading Meshtastic. I would like to purchase some units for my area. I have been reading about the T-Beam, T-Echo, and the RAK WisBlock.

The T-Beam products appear to be a little low in quality and the fact that there is no case is a little irritating. Therefore, when I saw the T-Echo I was more pleased, but then I saw that people appear to be having issues with the T-Echo (T-Echos Reliability - #48 by kokroo). Then I turned to the really nice RAK WisBlock, but also found people with issues ($25 low power dev board with solar: Rak4630 (now included in regular builds) - #3 by sam_uk).

I had hoped to use the new Semtech SX1262 chip, but now I am thinking that maybe I should just go with the T-Beam or Heltec for reliability reasons. Does anyone know if the issues with the T-Echo or the RAK WisBlock have been resolved?

The techo is a mess, RAK is well supported.

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Oh really, that is very good to know! Thank you!

I recommend T-Beams over everything for now.

You have only used tbeams and the techo correct?

I’ve got my hands on the RAK kit as well as Heltec boards last week, kindly sent by a Discord member.

The range performance of the T-Beam (SX1262 / M8N) and the RAK is indistinguishable. Yet the price of the RAK components is too high, and the shipping is ultra-expensive.

I can buy 2 T-Beams including shipping, instead of 1 Rak kit, and the T-Beam is a compact board with GPS and WiFi on-board with 3 clickable buttons.

Single RAK kit cost:

Single T-Beam kit (with screen) cost:

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The RAK and tbeams are well supported. RAK is gaining a lot of momentum and draws very little power.

That is true, the RAK is quite power efficient.

For beginners, I’d just recommend a T-Beam. For people who want to setup solar powered nodes or just need to squeeze out more battery life, RAK kits would be better, of course at a premium price.

Thank you guys! Great comments and suggestions. I have been debating T-Beam Vs RAK for the last several days. The RAK is quite expensive, but appears to be much better made. Since I am just stepping into this, I may just buy a few T-Beams (SX1262 / M8N) for some experimentation before I get the RAK for permanent installs. Good suggestion.

RAK Wireless aliexpress store usually offers better shipping prices but slower delivery times:

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If you don’t need GPS or a screen (mobile phone user w app) then the RAK or Heltec is a better choice.