Most people can operate a correctly configured Meshtastic device in Europe without obtaining an individual radio licence. That does not mean the radio spectrum is unregulated. Licence-exempt devices must remain inside designated frequency bands and comply with limits on radiated power, airtime and, in some cases, channel access, bandwidth and application type.
The simplest practical advice is to select the correct regional profile, leave the normal power controls enabled and use radio equipment intended for the European market. The longer—and more accurate—answer is that “Europe” has several regulatory layers. European Union decisions harmonize spectrum among EU members, CEPT recommendations extend coordination across a wider group of countries, ETSI standards describe technical compliance, and each national administration implements and enforces its own rules.
This page explains the common European framework and the settings most relevant to LoRa and Meshtastic. It is an educational guide, not a substitute for the current rules published by the regulator in the country where the transmitter is physically operating.
The short answer for ordinary Meshtastic users
In most European countries that have implemented the harmonized short-range-device rules, ordinary sub-GHz Meshtastic operation uses the EU_868 region. Meshtastic documents this profile as:
- Frequency range: 869.4–869.65 MHz
- Maximum power: 27 dBm ERP, equivalent to approximately 500 mW ERP
- Duty cycle: 10% over a rolling one-hour period
The firmware monitors airtime for EU_868 and stops transmitting temporarily when the rolling duty-cycle allowance has been used. The current values and behavior are documented in the official Meshtastic LoRa configuration guide.
These figures apply to the EU_868 profile, not automatically to every frequency around 868 MHz and not to every country that happens to be geographically European. They also describe radiated power, so antenna gain matters. A powerful board, amplifier or high-gain antenna can make an otherwise normal configuration exceed the legal ERP limit.
Who makes the rules?
| Organization or authority | What it does | What users should understand |
|---|---|---|
| European Union | Adopts harmonization decisions for short-range devices in EU member states | An EU decision establishes common availability and technical conditions, but national law and enforcement still matter |
| CEPT / ECC | Coordinates spectrum policy across a wider European group through recommendations and decisions | CEPT includes EU and non-EU administrations; a recommendation is not proof that every country has implemented every entry identically |
| ETSI | Publishes harmonized technical standards for radio equipment | Standards such as EN 300 220 support equipment conformity; they are not a personal operating licence |
| National regulator | Implements spectrum rules, authorizes use and investigates interference | The regulator for the country where the device transmits is the final source to check |
| Meshtastic project | Provides regional firmware profiles and compliance safeguards | A correct profile helps, but users remain responsible for legal hardware, antennas and operation |
The EU foundation is the current consolidated Commission Decision on harmonized use of spectrum by short-range devices. The broader European coordination reference is ERC Recommendation 70-03. Technical conformity for many non-specific devices below 1 GHz is addressed by ETSI EN 300 220-2.
The 863–870 MHz band is divided into sub-bands
Calling 863–870 MHz “the European ISM band” hides the rule most likely to cause an accidental violation: different parts of the range have different conditions. The following table is a practical summary of common non-specific short-range-device entries found in the harmonized framework. It is not an exhaustive allocation table and does not override a national implementation.
| Frequency sub-band | Common maximum ERP | Common duty-cycle alternative | Practical meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 868.0–868.6 MHz | 25 mW (14 dBm) | Up to 1% | Widely used by LoRaWAN uplinks and other SRDs; not the normal Meshtastic EU_868 range |
| 868.7–869.2 MHz | 25 mW (14 dBm) | Up to 0.1% | Far less airtime: only 3.6 seconds per hour at 0.1% |
| 869.4–869.65 MHz | 500 mW (27 dBm) | Up to 10% | The sub-band used by Meshtastic’s EU_868 profile |
| 869.7–870.0 MHz | National entries vary; commonly 5 or 25 mW | None or up to 1%, depending on the entry | Do not infer its conditions from the adjacent Meshtastic sub-band |
Some rules permit a duty-cycle limit or a spectrum-access technique such as listen-before-talk with adaptive frequency agility. That does not mean a user may ignore airtime simply because the receiver listens before transmitting. The device and firmware must implement a qualifying technique that satisfies the applicable standard.
There are also entries for alarms, social alarms, tracking, data networks, RFID and other specific applications. A high power figure found somewhere in 863–870 MHz may belong to a restricted application and cannot automatically be borrowed for a general messaging node.
What duty cycle means
Duty cycle is the percentage of an observation period during which a device transmits. It includes the complete radio transmission, not only the readable message payload.
| Duty cycle | Maximum theoretical transmit time in one hour | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | 360 seconds | Allows substantially more traffic, but still does not support continuous transmission |
| 1% | 36 seconds | Suitable for occasional compact sensor packets, not frequent chat at slow radio settings |
| 0.1% | 3.6 seconds | Very restrictive for long LoRa airtime and repeated relaying |
LoRa packets can occupy the channel for much longer than their small byte count suggests. A slower spreading-factor or modem preset improves receiver sensitivity but increases time on air. Mesh relaying also consumes airtime: one user message may cause several nodes to retransmit it. Position broadcasts, telemetry, neighbor information and acknowledgements add traffic even when nobody is typing.
Meshtastic calculates the EU_868 and EU_433 duty-cycle limit over a rolling hour and can prevent further transmission until airtime becomes available. That firmware protection is valuable, but good network design should avoid reaching it. Use the normal modem preset unless the terrain truly requires something slower, reduce unnecessary position and telemetry updates, keep hop limits sensible and do not flood public channels.
ERP, EIRP, transmitter power and antenna gain
A legal power limit is usually stated as ERP or EIRP, not simply as the number shown by the radio chip. These quantities describe the result after the transmitter, cable losses and antenna gain are considered.
- Conducted power is what leaves the transmitter connector.
- ERP compares the radiated signal with a half-wave dipole.
- EIRP compares it with an ideal isotropic antenna.
- EIRP is approximately 2.15 dB higher than ERP for the same physical signal.
A board producing 27 dBm into an antenna with positive gain may exceed a 27 dBm ERP limit unless cable and connector losses offset that gain. Conversely, a long lossy feed line can reduce radiated power. Users of amplified hardware such as a Station G2, external power amplifiers, directional antennas or high-gain collinear antennas should calculate the complete link rather than assuming that the firmware power field tells the whole story.
Holding an amateur-radio licence does not raise the power allowed on a licence-exempt frequency. When a licensed amateur uses 869.525 MHz under the short-range-device rules, the station remains subject to those SRD limits.
EU_433 and 2.4 GHz alternatives
Meshtastic also provides an EU_433 profile. Its documentation lists 433.0–434.0 MHz, 10 dBm power and a 10% duty cycle. A longer wavelength can be useful for propagation, but antennas are physically larger, the spectrum is shared with many other devices, and 433 MHz overlaps amateur allocations. Licence-exempt operation is still governed by the SRD rules; it does not become amateur operation merely because licensed amateurs also use nearby frequencies.
The LORA_24 profile uses LoRa hardware for 2.4 GHz and is documented by Meshtastic as 2400–2483.5 MHz with a 10 dBm profile limit. The band is much more globally available, but national equipment conditions still apply and range or obstruction performance will differ from sub-GHz LoRa. A sub-GHz board cannot use this profile without a radio designed for 2.4 GHz LoRa.
Do not select a region merely because it appears to offer more power or no firmware duty-cycle limit. Region selection must match the country, hardware and legal band in which the device is operating.
Travelling across Europe
EU_868 works across much of Europe because the underlying rules are highly harmonized, but Europe is not synonymous with the European Union. The United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Serbia and other non-EU countries participate in European spectrum coordination through their own legal systems. Dependencies and microstates may have separate administrations, while temporary or special-purpose restrictions can also exist.
Before taking a node across a border:
- Check the destination regulator’s current short-range-device or licence-exempt table.
- Confirm that 869.4–869.65 MHz, 500 mW ERP and the applicable channel-access condition have been implemented for non-specific SRDs.
- Set the correct Meshtastic region before transmitting.
- Recalculate ERP if the device has an amplifier or non-standard antenna.
- Do not assume an amateur licence or CEPT amateur privilege authorizes encrypted Meshtastic traffic on amateur bands.
For the United Kingdom, the authoritative equipment conditions are in Ofcom’s current Interface Requirement IR 2030. It retains the familiar 869.4–869.65 MHz entry at 500 mW ERP with appropriate spectrum-access techniques or a 10% duty-cycle alternative.
Serbia and the Balkans
Serbia is a useful example of why national confirmation matters. RATEL states that short-range devices operate under a general-authorization regime, share spectrum with other services, must not cause harmful interference and cannot demand protection from compliant radio services.
RATEL’s current 2026 Rulebook on spectrum use under general authorization lists 869.4–869.65 MHz for non-specific SRDs at 500 mW ERP, with less than 10% duty cycle or LBT+AFA. It also lists 868.7–869.2 MHz at 25 mW ERP and no more than 0.1% duty cycle or LBT+AFA. These entries closely follow the European framework and support normal EU_868 Meshtastic configuration in Serbia.
Do not extend the Serbian finding automatically to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania or every other Balkan jurisdiction. Each has its own administration and implementation record. The ECO Frequency Information System can help locate European allocation and implementation information, but the national regulator remains the final authority.
Interference, sharing and good network citizenship
Licence-exempt spectrum is shared. A compliant Meshtastic node has no reserved channel and usually no right to protection from other legal users. LoRaWAN, alarm systems, telemetry, remote controls and other SRDs may occupy the same or adjacent spectrum. Interference is therefore not proof that another user is acting illegally.
Legal maximum power is not a target that every node needs to reach. For a dense community mesh, excessive power and slow presets may increase hidden-node problems, collisions and unnecessary long-distance traffic. Good placement, a suitable antenna and disciplined packet rates often improve the network more than an amplifier.
Users should also preserve the regulatory safeguards built into the firmware. Do not patch out duty-cycle enforcement, configure an unauthorized frequency, attach an amplifier without recalculating ERP or import a board whose radio emissions and conformity are unknown. Equipment sold in the EU is normally subject to the Radio Equipment Directive, but a CE mark does not authorize every possible firmware, antenna or amplifier combination.
Amateur radio is a different legal route
Amateur bands require an appropriate operator licence, callsign identification and compliance with national amateur regulations. They may permit higher power and experimentation, but ordinary Meshtastic private channels use encryption. Amateur rules in most jurisdictions prohibit messages encoded for the purpose of obscuring their meaning, so an encrypted licence-exempt Meshtastic configuration cannot simply be moved onto a ham frequency.
A licensed operator experimenting with LoRa on amateur spectrum must separately address band privileges, power, bandwidth, identification, permitted communication, encryption and compatibility. Read How amateur radio complements Meshtastic for the practical boundary between the two services.
A practical compliance checklist
- Select the region that matches the country where the node is transmitting.
- Use current official firmware and keep its duty-cycle enforcement enabled.
- Treat the power ceiling as ERP or EIRP as specified, not merely transmitter output.
- Include antenna gain, cable loss and any external amplifier in the calculation.
- Keep automatic position, telemetry and neighbor broadcasts no more frequent than necessary.
- Use an appropriate modem preset and hop limit for the actual network.
- Check national rules before travel, permanent installation or high-power operation.
- Remember that licence-exempt devices must accept interference and must not cause harmful interference.
- Do not use ordinary encrypted Meshtastic traffic on amateur bands.
Power legality is only one part of a good radio installation. Antennas, placement and real-world range explains why height and a clear path usually matter more than maximum transmitter output. For unattended sites, continue with Power: battery, solar and remote deployments.
The enduring rule is simple: use the correct profile, stay within total radiated-power and airtime limits, and verify the country—not just the continent. European harmonization makes Meshtastic travel and deployment much easier, but the transmitter always operates under the law of its actual location.