Protocols
Packet framing, decoding, and reverse engineering
Zigbee 3.0 & 802.15.4: 2.4 GHz Mesh Mechanics, Coexistence & Channel 26
A builder's guide to IEEE 802.15.4 and Zigbee 3.0: Coordinator/Router/End Device roles, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi overlap maps, the Channel 26 FCC restricted band trap, and local ZHA control.
ESP-NOW Under the Hood: Action Frames, MAC Pairing & Sub-5ms Telemetry
A builder's guide to Espressif's connectionless protocol: 802.11 vendor-specific action frames, sub-5ms wake-to-transmit latency, AES-128 CCMP encryption, and channel coexistence.
Wi-Fi HaLow (802.11ah): Sub-1GHz Megabit IP, 900 MHz Channels & Range
Everything builders need to know about IEEE 802.11ah Wi-Fi HaLow: 10x downclocked OFDM, 902–928 MHz US channels, WPA3 security, TWT sleep, and FCC Part 15 compliance.
Reticulum Network Stack: Cryptographic Addressing, Interfaces & Zero-Config
A deep dive into Reticulum Network Stack (RNS): self-sovereign cryptographic addressing, multi-interface transport, RNode LoRa links, LXMF, and Part 15 rules.
MeshCore Protocol: Structured Roles, Companion Topology & Repeaters
How MeshCore approaches sub-1GHz LoRa networking: distinct Companion, Repeater, and Room Server roles, deterministic routing paths, and AES-128 framing.
Meshtastic Off-Grid Messaging: Flood Routing, Airtime Budgets & FCC Limits
How Meshtastic builds peer-to-peer LoRa networks: managed flood routing, next-hop direct messaging, channel crypto, and why network hops are not FCC frequency hops.
LoRaWAN in the US: Architecture, US915 Channels, and Part 15 Reality
A builder's guide to LoRaWAN network architecture, US915 uplink/downlink channels, Class A/B/C receive windows, OTAA nonce traps, and FCC Part 15 limits.
Welcome to OpenRF Note: An Unlicensed RF & Wireless Notebook
Why OpenRF Note exists: documenting FCC Part 15 unlicensed spectrum, exhaustive channel rosters, protocol packet framing, coexistence maps, and diagnostic RF engineering in the open.