The Node Star App.
Connect to your LoRa node, send encrypted mesh messages, share your location, and manage channels — all without internet. No app store. No account. No tracking.
The Node Star companion app for Android. A fork of the Meshtastic app — same interface, same features, fully compatible with official Meshtastic firmware and any Meshtastic network.
Need firmware first? Your node needs Meshtastic firmware before the app can connect. Flash it in minutes using the Node Star Flasher →
How to install the app
The Node Star app isn't on the Play Store — it's distributed directly as an APK. This keeps us independent and means you always get the latest version. Installing takes about two minutes.
Download the APK
Tap Download APK above directly on your Android device, or download it on your computer and transfer via USB cable or your file manager.
Allow unknown sources
Go to Settings → Apps → Special App Access → Install unknown apps and enable it for your browser or file manager. On older Android: Settings → Security → Unknown sources.
Open the APK
Tap the downloaded file in your notifications or file manager. Android will prompt you to install — tap Install.
Connect your node
Open the app and pair with your LoRa node via Bluetooth or USB. Your node needs Meshtastic firmware — if you haven't flashed it yet, use our Flasher.
Haven't flashed your node yet? Your hardware needs Meshtastic firmware before the app can connect to it. Use the Node Star Flasher to install firmware in your browser — no software required. The app works with Meshtastic firmware 2.5.x and above.
Open source, always.
The Node Star app is a fork of Meshtastic, an open source project licensed under GPL-3.0. It works with official Meshtastic firmware — no custom fork required. This means it's fully compatible with every Meshtastic device and network already out there. The app source code will be published on Codeberg. You can read the code, verify the APK, or build it yourself.
Need help setting up?
Our field guides walk you through everything from flashing your first device to building multi-interface relay nodes.
All five guides are free — view the full series →