Reticulum
Cryptography-first networking that runs over anything — private and server-less by design.
What it is
Reticulum isn’t an app — it’s a networking stack you build networks with. Think of it as an alternative to TCP/IP that assumes no fixed infrastructure, no DNS, no central authorities, and no trust in the link underneath.
Every link is encrypted by default with ephemeral keys — you literally can’t create an unencrypted one. Packets carry no source address, so origins stay hidden, and addresses are self-sovereign: you generate your own, and it’s globally reachable within seconds. Best of all, it thrives on the slow, lossy links where normal networking falls apart.
It doesn’t care what carries it
Reticulum runs over whatever you’ve got — and bridges them into one network.
Over LoRa
Add an RNode and run a true off-grid radio network — no internet anywhere in sight.
Over packet radio
Bridge into AX.25 / KISS TNCs and classic ham packet links.
Over the internet
Tunnel via TCP/IP or I2P to stitch distant networks together into a single mesh.
Things to actually use
The stack is the engine; these are what you touch.
Sideband
A friendly client for text, voice, location and telemetry over Reticulum — Android and desktop.
View on GitHub →Nomad Network
Terminal-style messaging plus self-hostable pages — a private, off-grid take on the web.
RNode
Open LoRa firmware that turns cheap boards into Reticulum (and packet) radio interfaces.
From zero to connected
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Install Reticulum
On any computer:
pip install rns. That single package is the engine everything else rides on. -
Add an interface
Start over your existing internet connection (TCP), or wire in an RNode for off-grid LoRa. Mix and match — Reticulum bridges them.
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Try an app
Fire up Sideband to message, or Nomad Network for pages and chat.
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Go deeper
Read the manual, then come trade setups in #reticulum.
Reticulum guides
Field-tested walkthroughs from RF Lab.
Official links
Straight from the source — bookmark these.
Build networks that can’t be switched off.
Privacy-first comms, with people who actually run them.