Quick start

You can be on the mesh in three steps — no toolchain, no command line.

1. Install Helius on a board

Open the web flasher in a Chromium browser (Chrome or Edge on desktop — the flasher uses the Web Serial API, which Firefox and Safari don’t support). Then:

1. Plug your board in over USB.
2. Pick your board — T-Echo, T-Beam or Heltec V3.
3. Follow the steps for your chip:
   • T-Beam / Heltec V3 (ESP32, ESP32-S3): click Connect & flash and select the serial port. The browser writes Helius and resets the board.
   • T-Echo (nRF52840): double-tap RESET so a *BOOT drive appears, then drag the Helius .uf2 onto it. The board reboots into Helius.

This is for new installs and conversions from Meshtastic or MeshCore. A board that already runs Helius updates from the app instead (see below).

2. Pair the app

Install the Helius app on any platform — Android, iOS, macOS, Windows or Linux — then connect to your device over Bluetooth or USB serial. The two transports are interchangeable; pick whichever is convenient.

On first connection the app provisions the device’s cryptographic identity, so a brand-new or freshly-flashed board is ready in seconds.

3. Message off-grid

Send a text, record a voice clip, share a photo, or drop your live location. Open the map to watch your mesh light up — every node’s position, signal strength and last-heard time, fully offline.

No towers, no SIM, no account. Just your devices and the air between them.

Updating firmware

Once a board runs Helius, update it from the app (Settings → Firmware update) over Bluetooth or USB. Updates are signed, and the board keeps a backup copy: if a new image fails to boot, it rolls back automatically. Boards also share updates with each other over the mesh.