🏘 Join the Croxton Meshtastic Network | Beginner’s Guide for Villagers

Stay connected around the village, chat with neighbours, and share updates — no mobile signal or internet required.

🤔 What is the Croxton Meshtastic Network?

The Croxton network is a community mesh network built with Meshtastic nodes. Each device talks directly to others nearby, forming a village-wide messaging system.

Think of it like passing a note down a line of people: your message hops from one node to the next until it reaches the intended recipient.

Benefits include:

Keep in touch with neighbours and local services
Send messages even during mobile or internet outages
Share updates for events, general village news, or coordination

It’s like our village-wide WhatsApp group, but it works without internet, WiFi, or mobile phone signal, and messages are encrypted and private.
⚠ Note: This isn’t a replacement for the WhatsApp group — it’s an “as well as” tool for times we lose power, internet, or phone signal.

🛠 How It Works

Each home/villager has a Meshtastic node.
Nodes automatically connect to each other, forming a mesh network — messages hop from node to node until they reach the recipient.
I’ve already set up a permanent always-on node in the village, so the network is available for anyone who joins.
Nodes can run from a USB power supply (phone charger, computer, etc) — you just need to be close enough for a Bluetooth signal to your node.

Tip: Standard antennas are enough for most homes — outdoor antennas are optional.

📱 Why Villagers Should Join

Stay Connected: Chat with neighbours and coordinate activities across the village.
Reliable Off-Grid Messaging: Works without mobile signal or WiFi.
Secure & Private: Messages are encrypted. The Croxton network is a private channel, which requires a password/key to join (ask me!). Meshtastic nodes can have up to 12 channels (groups). By default, one channel is open to every Meshtastic user, but the remaining channels can be set up for your own private messaging — for example, farms can have their own group to communicate securely.
Power Outage Friendly: Nodes can run from small USB power supplies, keeping the network alive even during blackouts.
Mobile Use: If you carry your node with you, you can message others who have a node — even while walking your dog across a field with no phone signal!
Great for Farm Workers: Perfect for staying in touch across fields, tracking tasks, and sending alerts.
Multi-Node Portability: If you have more than one node, they can be used anywhere — holidays, camping, hiking, or outdoor work. They’ll communicate with each other and any other local Meshtastic devices in range, even if out of the village.
Help Available: I’m available to assist with setup if needed, so even total beginners can join easily.
Fun & Community-Oriented: Strengthen village communication and keep everyone in the loop.

For full setup guidance, check out my Meshtastic Guide: Meshtastic for Beginners

📡 Practical Benefits for Villagers & Farm Workers

Share local alerts or safety updates quickly
Coordinate village events or volunteer tasks
Communicate even during storms, blackouts, or mobile outages
Stay in touch while moving around the village or farm
Take nodes on trips or outdoor activities — they’ll work together wherever they are within range of each other

✅ Final Thoughts

Joining the Croxton Meshtastic network is a simple, fun, and practical way for villagers to stay connected. With a small device and the free app, anyone can start chatting securely and reliably today — even during power outages, while walking across fields, or on holidays or outdoor adventures with multiple nodes.

⚠ Remember: Meshtastic is an “as well as” tool, not a replacement for WhatsApp — it’s there when normal internet, WiFi, or phone signal isn’t available.

There are many more features that it can be used for, I’ll do a more “techie” guide that will explain the full power you can get from a Meshtastic network. But for now, it’s about getting anyone interested in joining to get up and running.