MeshCore tuned for low power
by Mr. Github
MeshCore tunes power usage for better battery life
Updated Power Usage Results
A custom version of MeshCore has recently updated firmware to boast low-power performance for Heltec devices, which have had a bad rap for power usage. Here’s the latest results, as tested on Valentines Day 2026:
| Heltec V3 Companion BLE | 10 | 170.0 | 7.08 | 0.29 |
| Heltec V3 Repeater | 7.8 | 217.9 | 9.08 | 0.38 |
| Heltec V3 Room Server | 8.0 | 212.5 | 8.85 | 0.37 |
| Heltec WSL3 Companion BLE | 10 | 170.0 | 7.08 | 0.29 |
| Heltec WSL3 Repeater | 7.7 | 220.8 | 9.20 | 0.38 |
| Heltec WSL3 Room Server | 7.9 | 215.2 | 8.97 | 0.37 |
| Heltec V4 Companion BLE | 20 | 85.0 | 3.54 | 0.15 |
| Heltec V4 Repeater | 13.3 | 127.8 | 5.33 | 0.22 |
| Heltec V4 Room Server | 13.4 | 126.9 | 5.29 | 0.22 |
| XIAO S3 Wio Companion BLE | 11 | 154.5 | 6.44 | 0.27 |
| XIAO S3 Wio Repeater | 8.7 | 195.4 | 8.14 | 0.34 |
| XIAO S3 Wio Room Server | 8.7 | 195.4 | 8.14 | 0.34 |
| No results. | ||||
Note this is not the standard MeshCore firmware.
More news on this topic can be found at:
Another recent issue and other links it refers to apparently suggest there may be reasons to NOT run one’s Heltec V4 at full 28dBi power. Folks have come away saying 22dBi is the sweet spot, I don’t know why though!