// get started
You do not have to understand all of Reticulum to begin. First pick what you want to do, for example following the community, working over LoRa or running a fixed node. Then you only install what you need for that.
| Scenario | What you install | Hardware needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Try it on your phone | Ratspeak or Sideband app | No, just your phone |
| Communicate over LoRa radio | RNode firmware on a LoRa board + an app | Yes, a LoRa board (~20 EUR) |
| Run a 24/7 node | RNS via pip on Linux | Server or Raspberry Pi |
| Join ReticulumNet | Any of the setups above | Depends on your choice |
Start small if you like. Many people begin over the internet first and only add an RNode, LoRa or a fixed transport node later.
This is the easiest way to get to know Reticulum. Install an app, connect over the internet and follow the community first. Your identity is created automatically the first time you start up.
Both apps are available as an APK, not through the Play Store. iOS: Ratspeak is available as a beta via TestFlight.
Ratspeak is the more modern client: messages, files, voice calls, games. Built in Rust with its own Reticulum implementation. Sideband is the alternative: LXMF messaging, location sharing, Bluetooth RNode support. More mature but more technical.
Battery. On Android, Ratspeak keeps running in the background, even after you close the app. If you notice it uses a lot of battery, turn off background usage under Settings > Apps > Ratspeak > Battery. Messages then come in as soon as you open the app. Sideband works the same way.
Flash a LoRa board as an RNode and you have a radio interface for Reticulum. The radio does the modulation, while Reticulum on your phone or computer handles the encryption and routing. Range depends heavily on antenna, height and surroundings.
The easiest way is the web flasher: open it in Chrome, plug in the board over USB and flash the firmware. You do not need to use the command line for this.
pip install rns
rnodeconf --autoinstall
After flashing you connect the RNode to your device:
| Connection | When | Config |
|---|---|---|
| USB | Board straight to your computer | port = /dev/ttyUSB0 |
| WiFi / TCP | Board by the window, computer elsewhere | port = tcp://192.168.1.50 |
| Bluetooth | Mobile use with Ratspeak or Sideband | port = ble://rnoded45d |
Which boards work: see hardware. Radio settings for the ReticulumNet network: see LoRa.
An always-on machine running rnsd gives the network a stable routing point. Other peers can connect to it and send traffic through it. Add lxmd if you also want to store offline messages for others.
# Install
pip install rns lxmf
rnsd
# Config is created in ~/.reticulum/config
# Stop (Ctrl+C), add ReticulumNet:
[[ReticulumNet]]
type = TCPClientInterface
enabled = yes
target_host = node.reticulumnet.nl
target_port = 4242
# Start again and check
rnsd &
rnstatus
The ReticulumNet interface should show Up. If you also want to connect a LoRa board, add an RNodeInterface. See LoRa.
A good transport node is a machine that is always on: a Raspberry Pi, a cheap VPS, or an old laptop. Set enable_transport = yes in your config if you want to forward traffic for others.
ReticulumNet runs a public transport node and propagation node. With it you can start without a server of your own.
# Add to ~/.reticulum/config under [interfaces]
[[ReticulumNet]]
type = TCPClientInterface
enabled = yes
target_host = node.reticulumnet.nl
target_port = 4242
Joining the community: see community.
Available automatically after pip install rns. These tools work over any transport, such as internet, LoRa and Bluetooth.
| Command | Function |
|---|---|
| rnsd | Start the Reticulum daemon |
| rnstatus | Show interfaces and status |
| rnpath <hash> | Look up the route to a destination |
| rnprobe <hash> | Test reachability (like ping) |
| rncp <file> <hash> | Encrypted file transfer |
| rnsh <hash> | Encrypted remote shell |
| rnodeconf | Flash or configure an RNode |
| Platform | Options |
|---|---|
| Windows | Ratspeak desktop or RNS via pip (PowerShell / WSL) |
| macOS | Ratspeak .dmg or RNS via pip |
| Linux | Ratspeak AppImage / .deb / .rpm or RNS via pip |
| Android | Ratspeak or Sideband APK. USB-OTG, BLE, TCP to RNode. |
| iOS | Ratspeak beta via TestFlight. No USB, only BLE or TCP bridge. |
| Raspberry Pi | RNS via pip. Suitable as an always-on node with an RNode. |