Everything the Inland NW Mesh community uses to build and expand the network — tested in our region. All devices are 915 MHz US-band. Purchases through these links support the expansion of the mesh.
For an always-on solar node sitting on a rooftop or hilltop, average current draw across the full sleep/receive/transmit cycle matters far more than peak TX power. The nRF52840’s sleep current is measured in microamps — the ESP32’s is measured in milliamps. On a modest panel with a pair of 18650 cells, that difference determines whether your node survives a Pacific Northwest overcast week in December.
Solar / battery nodes
nRF52840
Nordic Semiconductor — ARM Cortex-M4
Deep sleep current2–11 µA
Receive current~5 mA
Wi-FiNone
BluetoothBLE 5.0
MQTT gateway capableNo
Best forSolar repeaters
Powered / MQTT gateway
ESP32 / ESP32-S3
Espressif — dual-core Xtensa LX6/LX7
Deep sleep current800 µA–1.5 mA
Receive current40–80 mA
Wi-FiYes
BluetoothBLE 4.2/5.0
MQTT gateway capableYes
Best forPowered / MQTT nodes
⚠️ No MQTT on nRF nodes — if a node needs to bridge the mesh to the internet via Wi-Fi, use an ESP32 (Heltec V3/V4) on shore power. nRF52840 has no Wi-Fi radio.
Solar sizing calculator — Inland NW
⚠️ Size for December, not July. Spokane averages ~4.0 peak sun hours annually, but December drops to roughly 1.5–2.0 hrs/day after accounting for low sun angle, cloud cover, and potential snow on panels. A node sized on annual averages will run flat in winter exactly when the mesh matters most.
Monthly peak sun hours — Spokane / Inland NW (size for the red months):
🔋 Our battery recommendation: protected 18650 Li-Ion cells. At the ultra-low current draws of nRF52840 nodes (3–8 mA average), standard protected 18650 cells perform excellently in Inland NW outdoor conditions and charge reliably from small solar panels.
Avg current draw—mA average
Min panel size—watts
Days autonomy—at selected cell count
Inland NW deployment rules of thumb
☀️Always size for December — Spokane's worst month delivers ~1.5–2.0 peak sun hours/day. Nodes sized on the ~4.0 hr annual average will run flat through Jan/Feb.
📐Tilt panels steeply south — aim 55–65° tilt to capture Spokane's low December sun. A steep tilt also sheds snow naturally.
🔋18650 cells work great with nRF nodes — the ultra-low current draw (3–8 mA average) means negligible heat generation even in cold weather.
☁️Plan for 5+ consecutive cloudy days — Spokane averages only ~60 hours of sun in all of December. Multi-day overcast stretches are normal.
📡Elevation beats hardware — a nRF52840 node at 300 ft elevation with a 5 dBi antenna will outperform a high-power ESP32 node at valley level.
⚠️No MQTT bridging on nRF nodes — if a node needs to act as a Wi-Fi/MQTT internet gateway, use an ESP32 (Heltec V3/V4) on shore power.
Affiliate disclosure: Inland NW Mesh is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Commissions go directly toward expanding the Inland Northwest mesh network at no extra cost to you. We only recommend hardware we actually use on the mesh.