Run your own node. Local AI, mesh radio, and off-grid payments — one stack that runs entirely on your hardware. No servers. No accounts. No internet needed.
DARKNODE combines three powerful tools into one self-contained app. Runs on commodity hardware — no cloud, no servers, no infrastructure needed.
Runs a quantized LLM via llama.cpp entirely on your machine. No API keys, no cloud calls. Other mesh nodes query it over radio using @bot or !ask.
Bridges to any Meshtastic device over USB. Tracks all nodes, battery, GPS, and sensors in real-time. Range: 5–15 km per hop. No towers. No carriers needed.
Built-in Bitcoin wallet + Cashu ecash. Tokens are plain text — send them over radio as messages. Economic activity over a mesh, zero internet required.
Each DARKNODE acts as both an AI host and a mesh relay. Messages hop through nodes until they reach one running the AI — response travels back the same way.
Plug in any Meshtastic-compatible LoRa device via USB. The app auto-detects it and installs the bridge. No manual config needed.
From any device in range, send @bot your question. The mesh automatically routes it to the nearest AI node.
llama.cpp loads your chosen model and runs inference fully on-device. Response is generated locally, then broadcast back over the mesh.
Cashu ecash tokens are plain text strings. Paste one into a radio message — the recipient redeems it when connectivity returns. No processors needed.
No plugins, no configuration hell. Works on a fresh machine after two commands.
llama.cpp runs locally. No API keys. Choose 0.5B–7B models based on your hardware. Auto-downloaded on install.
Send @bot from any Meshtastic device in range. Mesh routes it, AI answers, response routes back automatically.
Download, switch, or delete GGUF models from a curated list via the web UI. No terminal after first install.
Plug in your Meshtastic device and it works. Serial port auto-detection with reconnect UI and port selector.
Battery, SNR, GPS, environment sensors — all tracked per node. Query nodes or weather over the mesh.
Bearer tokens as plain text. Send over radio, hold offline, melt to Lightning when connected. No counterparty needed.
Everything in ./data/ — messages, nodes, wallet, proofs. No external databases. No telemetry. Ever.
Designed for zero internet. All dependencies bundled. Works completely disconnected — even in a Faraday cage.
Every line on GitHub. No closed binaries. No analytics. No backdoors. Fork it, modify it, own it completely.
Requires Node.js 18+ and Python 3.11+. The installer handles everything else — llama.cpp, a starter model, and Meshtastic deps.
Any Meshtastic-compatible LoRa device works. Plug it in and DARKNODE handles the rest. No radio? AI and wallet still run fine.
Compact ESP32. Great starter with built-in OLED display.
Built-in GPS + battery management. Best for portable nodes.
Modular and configurable. Best for permanent installations.
Card-sized GPS tracker. Ultra portable, long battery life.
No radio? No problem. DARKNODE works in two modes — pick whichever fits your setup.
Six phases from proof-of-concept to a fully sovereign mesh economy. Phases 1–2 are shipped. Phase 3 is in progress.
Pertanyaan yang sering ditanyakan tentang DARKNODE.
Tidak sama sekali. DARKNODE dirancang untuk berjalan 100% offline. AI inference, mesh radio, dan pembayaran semuanya bekerja tanpa internet. Koneksi hanya dibutuhkan saat pertama kali install untuk mengunduh dependencies.
Model kecil seperti Qwen2.5-0.5B bisa berjalan di Raspberry Pi 4 atau laptop lama. Untuk model yang lebih besar (3B–7B), direkomendasikan CPU modern dengan minimal 8GB RAM. GPU tidak wajib.
Ya. DARKNODE tetap berfungsi penuh tanpa radio — kamu bisa pakai local AI chat dan wallet. Radio LoRa hanya diperlukan jika ingin mengaktifkan fitur mesh network dan komunikasi antar node.
Jangkauan per hop sekitar 5–15 km tergantung terrain dan antena. Dengan relay node di antaranya, jangkauan bisa diperluas tanpa batas — setiap node yang aktif memperluas mesh secara otomatis.
Semua data disimpan lokal di folder ./data/ di mesin kamu. Tidak ada telemetri, tidak ada server eksternal, tidak ada akun. Kode sumber sepenuhnya open source dan bisa diaudit siapa saja.
Each node relays messages to the next. The AI node processes queries and sends responses back through the same path — no internet needed.
This is what it feels like to query a local AI node. In the real app, this runs entirely on your hardware — no API, no cloud.
What's new, fixed, and changed in each release.
From disaster preppers to privacy researchers — here's what the community says.
Set this up on a Raspberry Pi 4 during a 3-day grid-down drill. The mesh stayed up the entire time. AI answered questions about first aid and navigation without a single internet request.
Finally an AI setup that doesn't phone home. Audited the source — no hidden calls, no telemetry. Runs my local LLM for code review without sending anything to OpenAI.
Deployed 4 nodes across our mountain trail network. Hikers can now query trail conditions, weather, and emergency info from their Meshtastic radios — no cell signal needed.
How we stack up against cloud AI and other local setups.
| Feature | DARKNODE | ChatGPT / Claude | Ollama | LM Studio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Works offline | ✓ Full | ✗ Never | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Mesh radio bridge | ✓ Built-in | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Off-grid payments | ✓ Bitcoin + Cashu | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| No account required | ✓ Zero signup | ✗ Required | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| No telemetry | ✓ Verified | ✗ Always on | ~ Optional | ~ Optional |
| Hardware cost | $25–60 one-time | $20+/mo forever | PC only | PC only |
| Works in disasters | ✓ Designed for it | ✗ Cloud down = dead | ~ PC needed | ~ PC needed |
| Open source | ✓ 100% | ✗ Closed | ✓ Yes | ~ Partial |
This is free and open source. If it's useful in a blackout, off the grid, or just for the idea — consider supporting development.