Nomad Network & Reticulum

What is Nomad Network – and what is Reticulum?

Reticulum is a cryptography-based network stack: it assigns addresses, encrypts data and forwards it – over LoRa radio, WLAN and cable, packet radio, serial lines or the internet. Reticulum does not need IP, but can use the internet as a carrier. According to the manual, Reticulum is neither a service you subscribe to nor a single worldwide network you join: any group can use it to build its own network and connect it to others as needed.

LXMF is the message format and delivery protocol on Reticulum. LXMF messages are signed and encrypted end-to-end. If the recipient is not currently reachable, a post office – called a "Propagation Node" in the project – can hold the message until they pick it up.

Nomad Network is a program that makes both usable: with it you write LXMF messages, read other nodes' pages in a built-in text browser, and can run a node yourself, that is, offer pages and files to others. The program runs in the terminal with a purely text-based interface; as a package it is called nomadnet. The project describes it as "Off-grid, resilient mesh communication with strong encryption, forward secrecy and extreme privacy".

Besides Nomad Network, other programs use the same network and the same LXMF message format, for example Sideband, MeshChatX and Columba. Nomad pages are not all displayed by them, though: Sideband is a program for messages and voice, without a page browser.

• For beginners: a simple mnemonic – Reticulum is the network, LXMF the mail, Nomad Network the program with mailbox and browser.
• For iPhone and iPad, the Reticulum manual names no client (as of September 2026). You read Nomad pages on a computer or with an Android app.
• Expert tip: there is no formal specification – according to the project, the reference implementation in Python is authoritative. Nomad Network is under the GPLv3 licence; Reticulum and LXMF use their own "Reticulum License", which among other things prohibits use in systems that can deliberately harm people, and use as AI training data.

How does Reticulum work?

A Reticulum address is a 32-character hexadecimal identifier, so 16 bytes or 128 bits. It is a truncated SHA-256 hash of the application name and the key of an identity – the address is therefore the fingerprint of a key. An identity consists of an X25519 key for key exchange and an Ed25519 key for signatures; it is created locally on your device, without registering with any central authority.

For others to find a destination, it sends an announce: a signed but unencrypted packet with an address, public key and additional data such as the display or node name. Transport nodes – devices that forward traffic for others – pass announces on for up to 128 hops, that is, across up to 128 stations. So that announces do not clog the network, by default they may occupy no more than 2% of an interface's bandwidth.

From the announces, every transport node learns which neighbour a destination can be reached through. No node knows the whole path, each one only the next hop. If a path is missing, a device asks the network with a path request. Payload data is never flooded across the whole network – unlike Meshtastic, which relies on managed flooding.

Between two endpoints, Reticulum establishes an encrypted link when needed; LXMF messages and page requests run over it by default. As a minimum requirement for a medium, the manual names a half-duplex channel of more than 5 bit/s and a packet size (MTU) of 500 bytes.

• Post office: a Propagation Node stores messages for recipients who are currently offline, for at most 30 days; several post offices synchronise their messages with each other. Nomad Network can itself be a post office, but this function is switched off by default.
• Without a post office in the reachable network, both parties to a conversation must be online at the same time.
• On the local network, the automatic interface (AutoInterface) finds other Reticulum devices by itself – without a router or DHCP server.
• For beginners: freshly installed, the network often looks empty. The default configuration only reaches devices on your own local network; only access via a hub or over radio brings announces from further away.
• Expert tip: because the application name feeds into the address, the same identity has different addresses for messages (LXMF) and for its node. You send messages to the LXMF address, you open pages via the node address.

Nomad Network, Meshtastic or MeshCore – the comparison

Nomad Network with Reticulum, Meshtastic and MeshCore often run on the same LoRa boards in the same 868 MHz band, but do not understand each other: each system has its own protocol, and no primary source describes a bridge between them. A board carries only one firmware at a time – switching means reflashing.

The main difference lies in ambition. Meshtastic and MeshCore are designed for short messages over LoRa and come with ready-made apps. Reticulum is a network that connects LoRa radio, local networks and the internet and carries pages and files besides messages; in return it demands considerably more setup, and the manual names no client for iOS.

For a quick radio network with short messages within a family or neighbourhood, Meshtastic or MeshCore is the simpler path; details are in the PrepperGuide article Mesh radio. Reticulum plays to its strengths when you want to connect radio islands over the internet, distribute information pages, or deliver messages with a delay via a post office – and are willing to get into the configuration.

• For beginners: if you do not yet have a LoRa board, try Reticulum first without radio via a hub. That way you know whether the effort is worthwhile before committing to a firmware.
• Expert tip: anyone who wants both worlds needs two boards – one with RNode firmware for Reticulum and one with Meshtastic or MeshCore firmware.

Setting up Nomad Network – step by step

In a few steps you set up Nomad Network on a computer running Linux, macOS or Windows and connect it to a hub over the internet. A hub – called an "entrypoint" in the manual – is a publicly reachable Reticulum node that your device connects to over the internet. The project no longer has an official test network; guides that recommend one are outdated.

The steps apply to Reticulum 1.5.4 and Nomad Network 1.4.3 (as of September 2026); the Reticulum manual is authoritative. Install only from the official sources – the Python package index PyPI and the programs the manual lists – because the project itself warns against counterfeit copies.

Instead of a hub, or in addition, you can register a LoRa board with RNode firmware as a radio interface. You then set the frequency, transmit power and transmit-time limit yourself – in Switzerland without a licence, for example in the 865–868.6 MHz range at most 25 mW ERP at a 1% duty cycle.

1. Install Python 3 (version 3.8 or later), then Nomad Network with the command pipx install nomadnet or pip install nomadnet. On Windows, tick the box in the Python installer that adds Python to PATH.
2. Start the program in the terminal with the command nomadnet; if the system reports "command not found", restart the computer once and try again. On first launch, Nomad Network creates its configuration, and your identity – the key pair behind your address – is created locally on your device.
3. Close Nomad Network and open the Reticulum configuration ~/.reticulum/config in a text editor; the tilde stands for your home directory. If you don't find the file there, it is in ~/.config/reticulum.
4. Add a section of your own for the hub under [interfaces]: a freely chosen name in double square brackets, and below it the lines type = TCPClientInterface, enabled = yes, target_host with the hub's hostname, and target_port with its port. Without enabled = yes, the interface stays switched off.
5. Save the file and start Nomad Network again with nomadnet.
6. Let the program run for a while and watch the announce stream under "Network": nodes announcing themselves on the network gradually appear. Nodes announce themselves on startup and then, by default, every six hours – so it takes patience.
7. Open a node: press Ctrl+U under "Network", enter the address in the format <32 hexadecimal characters>:/page/index.mu and confirm with Enter; the bare 32-character address is also enough. Nomad Network then looks for the path to the node and loads its start page.

The PrepperGuide node on the Reticulum network

Since 19 September 2026, PrepperGuide has operated, on a server in Switzerland, a hub on the Reticulum network through which any device can connect over the internet, and the Nomad node "PrepperGuide.ch". The node offers the content of prepperguide.ch as text pages in German, French, Italian and English. Public entry points in Switzerland are rare; the PrepperGuide hub is one of them.

As a transport node, the hub forwards traffic and is connected to the rest of the Reticulum network. The node "PrepperGuide.ch" is therefore reachable even without the PrepperGuide hub, through any other access to the rest of the network; a test via a third-party hub reached it in two hops.

To open the node, you register a hub as access in the Reticulum configuration and enter the node's address with the path :/page/index.mu in Nomad Network's browser dialog (Ctrl+U); MeshChatX and Columba accept the same form. A hub's address belongs only in the configuration, never in the browser dialog.

The PrepperGuide node is connected only over the internet. If the internet fails, it is not reachable – not even over radio. It is therefore suited to getting familiar with the system and practising before a crisis, not as a source of information during a blackout.

The binding source is the address list on prepperguide.ch/ueber-uns, in the section "PrepperGuide on the Reticulum network". Names are not protected on the Reticulum network: any station can call itself "PrepperGuide.ch" – all that counts is the 32-character address. Anyone who connects via the PrepperGuide hub makes their device's IP address visible to the hub; anyone who reaches the node via another hub shows it to that hub's operator.

• For beginners: register a second access alongside the PrepperGuide hub, or use Reticulum's interface discovery. The manual expressly advises against relying on a single connection to the network.
• Expert tip: Nomad programs cache pages, 12 hours by default; a node's operator can change this per page. On the PrepperGuide node, entry pages may remain cached for up to seven days – new content therefore appears there with a delay.

[[PrepperGuide Hub]]
  type = TCPClientInterface
  enabled = yes
  target_host = rns.prepperguide.ch
  target_port = 4242

Security and privacy: what is encrypted, what does a hub see?

Reticulum encrypts all payload data to individual recipients by default: key exchange with X25519, key derivation with HKDF, encryption with AES-256 in CBC mode together with HMAC-SHA-256, signatures with Ed25519. AES-256 has been the standard since version 0.9.6; the older AES-128 variant was removed with version 1.0.0. Links – for example when retrieving a Nomad page – additionally offer forward secrecy: anyone who later obtains an identity's long-term key cannot use it to decrypt recorded connections.

Packets carry no sender address. Metadata nonetheless remains visible: the destination address, the time and the size of a packet, as well as the content of every announce – address, public key and display or node name. Announces are signed but not encrypted; anyone listening can read them.

A TCP hub additionally sees the IP address of every device that connects to it – this also applies to the PrepperGuide hub. The manual itself warns that TCP connections expose the IP addresses of both sides. The hub can thereby link which IP address contacts which destination addresses and sends which announces. It cannot decrypt content that it merely forwards; only the endpoint can read it – for a page request, that means the node delivering the page.

Nomad Network does not identify you by default when you retrieve a page: the node only learns your Reticulum identity if you tell it explicitly. A TCP hub sees your IP address regardless.

Your identity is a private key on your device. Anyone who obtains it can pose as you; if it is lost, the address is gone – there is no recovery through a provider. In Nomad Network your identity is stored in ~/.nomadnetwork/storage/identity – back up this file; anyone who loses it loses the address.

• For beginners: check an address character by character before trusting a page or a sender. Display and node names can be freely chosen by anyone.
• For beginners: back up the configuration folders of Nomad Network and Reticulum (~/.nomadnetwork and ~/.reticulum) on storage that only you control.
• Expert tip: you only show your IP address to a hub if you connect to it over the internet. Over LoRa radio, Reticulum needs no IP at all – there is no IP address there for anyone to see.

The law in Switzerland: LoRa, amateur radio and encryption

LoRa radio with Reticulum is permitted in Switzerland without a licence, without prior notification and without a proficiency certificate, as long as you stay within the frequency ranges for general short-range devices and observe their limits. The legal basis is Article 8 paragraph 2 of the Ordinance on the Use of the Radio Frequency Spectrum (VNF), Annex 1 of OFCOM's Ordinance on the Use of the Radio Frequency Spectrum (VVNF), and OFCOM's interface requirement RIR1008, in the version applicable from 1 January 2026.

The power limits apply as ERP, that is, as radiated power including antenna gain. The duty cycle limits transmit time per hour: 1% corresponds to 36 seconds, 10% to 360 seconds. Neither the RNode firmware nor Reticulum sets a transmit-time limit without configuration – you have to set that yourself.

Different rules apply on amateur-radio bands. Anyone transmitting there needs a proficiency certificate and a call sign from OFCOM. According to OFCOM's fact sheet on the amateur radio service (point 1.8), digital transmissions are only permitted if they are unencrypted; trials with types of transmission outside these conditions require authorisation. Reticulum encrypts connections and messages without this being possible to switch off. For regular operation, Reticulum therefore belongs on the bands for general short-range devices, not on amateur-radio bands; 868 MHz is not an amateur-radio band in Switzerland anyway.

Over the internet, I2P or a cable, you use no radio frequency spectrum at all; no licence is needed for that.

• 865–868.6 MHz: at most 25 mW ERP, 1% duty cycle.
• 869.40–869.65 MHz: at most 500 mW ERP, 10% duty cycle – the sub-band with the highest permitted power, but only 250 kHz wide.
• 433.05–434.79 MHz: at most 10 mW ERP, 10% duty cycle.
• Setting the transmit time: the RNode interface's airtime_limit_long setting fixes the permitted transmit time as a percentage over a rolling hour. Set it to at most the duty cycle of your sub-band, so 1 or 10.
• Setting the transmit power: you choose the transmit power yourself with txpower in dBm; some boards manage far more than is permitted. In the 1% band, at most 25 mW ERP is allowed, which is around 14 dBm – an antenna with gain requires a correspondingly lower value.
• Don't copy the manual's example: the example LoRa configuration in the Reticulum manual (867.2 MHz with airtime_limit_long = 1.5) would exceed the permitted 1% in Switzerland; its txpower = 7 (5 mW) value, on the other hand, is not a problem.
• For beginners: start without radio – over the internet, no questions of frequency, transmit power or transmit time arise.
• Expert tip: align centre frequency and bandwidth so the whole transmission stays within the chosen sub-band. In the 869.40–869.65 MHz band, only 250 kHz wide, a 125 or 250 kHz channel only fits with a suitably placed centre frequency.

Limits and typical mistakes

Nomad Network is a tool for prepared groups who want to exchange text, small pages, files and delayed messages without the internet. It replaces neither the emergency call nor the authorities' alerting of the population, and it only works if devices, power and reachable counterparts are already in place before a crisis.

The project hangs on one person: Mark Qvist has developed Reticulum largely alone over many years and stepped back from public help in December 2025 – no more replies to bug reports, no more discussions – but continues to release new versions. Reticulum has no longer counted as beta since version 1.0.0 (July 2025); LXMF and Nomad Network still describe themselves as beta software, and none of the three components has been externally security-audited. How many people use Reticulum is not known.

Over LoRa, Reticulum is slow, and in Switzerland it is mainly the permitted transmit time that limits it, not the bit rate. Roughly calculated, a transmitter in the 1% band can send at most around 14 kilobytes per hour with common settings (spreading factor 8, 125 kHz bandwidth). That is enough for text messages and small pages, but not for images or many pages.

• Only one hub registered: if this access fails, you are cut off from the rest of the network. Register at least a second one, or use interface discovery.
• enabled = yes forgotten: without this line, an interface stays switched off.
• Caught an outdated guide: the project's former public test network is switched off; guides that recommend it are outdated.
• Hub address in the browser dialog: a hub's hostname and port belong in the Reticulum configuration. Only a node address, possibly with a path, belongs in the browser dialog (Ctrl+U).
• Address mistyped: a page address consists of exactly 32 hexadecimal characters, followed by at most one colon and the path. Nomad Network rejects an entry with a second colon as invalid.
• Wrong firmware: a board with Meshtastic or MeshCore firmware does not speak Reticulum. That requires the RNode firmware; switching means reflashing.
• Manual values adopted unchecked: the manual's example LoRa configuration is not aligned with Swiss law.
• Given up too soon: announces take time, longer on slow radio links. A freshly started program often still shows barely any nodes.
• Identity not backed up: without a backup, losing the device also loses your address.
• For beginners: in an emergency, dial the emergency numbers – Nomad Network is not an emergency-call channel.
• Expert tip: keep installation packages and the manual offline while everything still works. There is no more public help from the developer, and development now happens over the Reticulum network itself.

Tips for beginners and experts

Reticulum is only useful in a crisis if you have set it up and practised beforehand. The project's GitHub repositories have, since December 2025, been public mirrors only; development happens over the Reticulum network, installation via PyPI, documentation in the manual at reticulum.network.

• For beginners: start on a computer with a hub over the internet. This way you get to know the program, addresses and announces without first having to worry about radio law and hardware.
• For beginners: practise with a second person. Exchange your LXMF addresses by another route – on paper, for example – and send each other messages before you need to.
• For beginners: write down important node and LXMF addresses on paper. There is no central directory of all pages.
• Expert tip: more entry points instead of one – turn on interface discovery (manual chapter "Discovering Interfaces"). The command rnstatus -d lists the entry points found, rnstatus -D with the name of an entry outputs the matching configuration section. Further entry points are listed in directories the manual refers to, such as directory.rns.recipes and rmap.world.
• Expert tip: set up an RNode – with rnodeconf --autoinstall from the rns package, or with a web flasher, you flash the RNode firmware onto a suitable LoRa board; the list is in the manual's hardware chapter. Connected via USB, Bluetooth or WLAN, you register the board as an RNode interface in ~/.reticulum/config and set frequency, bandwidth, txpower and airtime_limit_long according to Swiss law.
• Expert tip: build a bridge – a fixed, permanently running computer such as a Raspberry Pi with transport switched on (enable_transport = yes) forwards traffic between its interfaces, for example between LoRa and the local network. The manual recommends transport only for such fixed devices; plan backup power for it too.
• Expert tip: post office for the group – your own Propagation Node within radio range delivers messages even when recipients are currently offline. In Nomad Network, the disable_propagation setting in the [node] section controls this function; it is switched off by default.
• Expert tip: your own node – with enable_node = yes in the [node] section of ~/.nomadnetwork/config, Nomad Network itself becomes a node. You place pages as files in Micron, the markup language of Nomad pages, in ~/.nomadnetwork/storage/pages, starting with index.mu; new pages only appear after a restart. Keep pages light for radio: images and large pages use up the scarce transmit time on LoRa, and Nomad Network only displays images in WebP format.

Frequently asked questions

Further sources

• Mesh radio Meshtastic and MeshCore: LoRa mesh for short messages
• About us: PrepperGuide on the Reticulum network The binding list of our node addresses
• Amateur radio HB3 or HB9: exam and call sign from OFCOM
• Scenario: Communication failure Preparing for when the mobile network and the internet fail
• Satellite communication Worldwide fallback channel without your own radio network
• PMR446 & CB Licence-free voice radio – when text isn't enough
• Guide: Emergency power & solar Running the node and radio module off-grid
• Emergency contacts Emergency numbers – Nomad Network does not replace an emergency call
• Reticulum (official site) Project site
• Reticulum manual Installation, configuration, interfaces
• Reticulum manual: software Official list of programs – protection against fakes
• Reticulum manual: hardware RNode and suitable LoRa boards
• Nomad Network (PyPI) Official installation package
• Reticulum (PyPI) rns package with rnodeconf and rnstatus
• Sideband (GitHub mirror) Messaging app: source code and versions
• OFCOM: Amateur Radio Fact Sheet Point 1.8: digital transmissions permitted only unencrypted (German document)
• OFCOM: RIR1008 short-range devices Limit values for 433 and 868 MHz