Introduction

LIA is an open-source, low-power pet and asset tracker built on top of Meshtastic and LoRa mesh networking. It focuses on being a compact, long-range, subscription-free tracking device that keeps working when there’s no cell coverage or Wi-Fi at all.

Why LIA exists

Most commercial pet trackers depend on a cellular subscription or a phone-tethered Bluetooth range of a few dozen meters. LIA takes a different approach: it broadcasts location over a decentralized LoRa mesh, so as long as there’s a chain of Meshtastic nodes between your tracker and a gateway, you get a position — no monthly fee, no carrier lock-in.

How it works

flowchart LR
    A[Wake from deep sleep] --> B[Acquire GPS fix]
    B --> C[Broadcast over LoRa / Meshtastic]
    C --> D[Nearby mesh nodes relay the packet]
    D --> E[Gateway node reaches the internet]
    E --> F[Return to deep sleep]
    F --> A

The device wakes from deep sleep on a timer or motion trigger.
The onboard GNSS module acquires a position fix.
The location is broadcast over LoRa using the Meshtastic protocol.
Nearby mesh nodes relay the packet, node by node, toward a gateway.
The radio and GPS power down and the device returns to deep sleep.

What’s in this documentation

Getting Started — flash firmware and pair your first device.
Hardware — PCB, Schematics, BOM, Assembly, Enclosure.
Firmware — Meshtastic Configuration, Building the Firmware, Power Management, Battery, Accelerometer, GPS, LoRa, RGB LED.
Development History — a phase-by-phase log of how the firmware got built, including the bugs found and fixed along the way.
Manufacturing, Troubleshooting, FAQ, Downloads.

License

LIA’s hardware, firmware, and documentation are released under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0¹.

This is a non-commercial share-alike license — it is open for personal, educational, and community use, but commercial use requires permission from the maintainers. ↩