Wio Tracker L1 Board with 3000mAh Battery and Case Set – SX1262 nRF52840 Kit for Ar duino Mesh Tastic Lo Ra, Blue Tooth 5.0, GPS GNSS, 1.3″ OLED, Battery Type-C Solar Charge (N37, Green)

practical mesh networking for curious minds
I bought Meshtastic to better understand the technology itself, and I can say that it’s truly fascinating. The device comes disassembled, which is a huge plus — it feels like an excellent hands-on kit that lets you understand how everything works internally, rather than a simple “plug and play” gadget. Over time, I managed to try almost all available features: mesh networking, GPS, different operating modes, and communication via the mobile app. Along the way, it becomes clear that Meshtastic is not a toy, but a serious tool that can be deeply customized for specific use cases.It’s important to note that with this particular model, MQTT connectivity requires using Python and a PC (for example, as a gateway). This isn’t a drawback, but more of a design choice — the product is clearly aimed at people who enjoy learning, experimenting, and understanding the technology, rather than just consuming a finished solution. Overall, it’s been a great experience. Meshtastic offers a rare opportunity to get hands-on with decentralized communication, and if you’re interested in hardware, radio, and networking technologies, it’s genuinely addictive

Great battery life
Only complaints are 1) the reboot button is prone to accidental presses, 2) the antenna connector is the less common reverse SMA, 3) the joystick button is almost impossible to push straight in to select a menu option, 4) the case needs cut-outs to make the charging and alert LEDs visible, 5) needs a belt clip or at least a kickstand.The bigger battery, physical power switch and charging port on the side (instead of on the bottom) make it a superior alternative to the Heltec V3.Battery life is so good that you can set the display to always on and (if you can find a way to get it to remain standing) the big clock on the new firmware allows it serve as a great little desk or table clock. If you’re coming from a Heltec V3, you won’t be disappointed.

Good hardware, very frustrating software experience (Meshtastic)
The hardware itself seems solid — GPS works locally, LoRa radios power up, and the build quality appears fine. Unfortunately, the out-of-box user experience with Meshtastic firmware is extremely frustrating, especially if you expect this to function like a tracker.Key issues I ran into:GPS position in the app is intentionally inaccurate by default due to privacy rules on the primary channel. This is not clearly communicated. Both nodes showed a clean but wrong position over a mile away, which looks like a bug until you dig deep into forums.To get precise GPS, you must create a secondary encrypted channel, even if you only want GPS over BLE. BLE does not bypass the privacy logic.BLE connectivity is very unstable, especially if the device is moving. Connections drop repeatedly, making configuration painful.Walking with the device causes the map position to “jump” between static locations instead of tracking smoothly.Recovering from configuration problems often requires factory resets, and some instructions assume disconnecting the internal battery, which requires opening the device — not user-friendly for a consumer product.Bottom line:This is not a “tracker” in the intuitive sense. It’s a mesh radio first, with optional location sharing that is heavily constrained by privacy and power-saving assumptions. If you expect to walk with it and see live GPS updates over BLE, you will likely be disappointed.This product may be fine for experienced Meshtastic users who understand the ecosystem and its limitations, but for anyone expecting simple tracking behavior, the software experience is rough and poorly documented.I’m hoping future firmware improves BLE stability and makes the GPS/privacy behavior clearer, because the hardware has potential — but right now, it’s not ready for casual tracking use.

The specification is great, battery life well over a week, but here’s the problem. On both units the joystick doesn’t work properly. Almost impossible to push down with it going up down right or left first. This is essential to make use of firmware 2.7.X which is why I bought these devices so it could standalone from my phone.The joystick issue seems to be well known for a while but still hasn’t been resolved by Seeed the manufacturer, which is very disappointing.Resorted to a friend who kindly 3D printed some alternative joysticks from designs online. Extra faff.BTW I’ve tried all the suggestions on the web like sanding down the joystick button base and deepening the hole so it sits down better but made zero difference.It’s such a great device once the joystick works. This is the reason I didn’t send them back.

Works well. Great quality build.