<aside> 🚀

Haven 2 is Here

Most of the build — components, assembly, field tests, mesh config — is shared across Haven 1 and Haven 2. Where they diverge, look for the 🟦 Haven 1 and 🟪 Haven 2 waypoints throughout this manual.

What's new in Haven 2?

• Raspberry Pi 5 — quad-core ARM @ 2.4 GHz, up to 16 GB RAM
• Morse Micro MM8108 — ~33% more throughput, better range, native multi-region support
• 4-cell battery hat — doubles field runtime over the previous 2-cell Waveshare hat
• Mesh VPN — WireGuard + Tailscale built in, Headscale-compatible for fully self-hosted control
• LoRa sidecar support — connect a Meshtastic / Reticulum RNode board (Heltec, RAK4631, Seeed XIAO, Walter, Muzi Works Base Duo, Null Hop Mesh Toad) and the drivers are already there

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN5jBFMG-IY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P25blMzNgyU

</aside>

<aside> 🗒️

See the full change log at the bottom of this manual.

</aside>

<aside> ✅

Living Field Manual

This guide evolves with every Haven update. You get lifetime access to all future improvements, fixes, and mission builds — automatically.

</aside>

<aside> 👉🏻

Start Here — How Haven Networks Actually Work

Haven is a mesh networking system, which means it requires at least TWO compatible devices to create a working link.

Think of it like walkie-talkies:

One device alone cannot form a network — you need at least two nodes to communicate.

Advanced users can extend Haven further by adding sovereign routing layers like Reticulum, enabling encrypted identity-based networking on top of the mesh.

Minimum Setup

To build your first Haven network you will need any two compatible Wi-Fi HaLow devices. These do NOT both need to be full Haven builds.

Examples that work:

✅ Two Haven nodes

✅ One Haven node + a Morse Micro USB dongle

✅ One Haven node + a Heltec HaLow dongle

✅ Two HaLow client devices (no Haven required)

✅ Multiple mixed HaLow nodes — any combination should interoperate

Haven is simply a fully packaged, ready-to-deploy node — but it speaks standard Wi-Fi HaLow mesh (802.11s), so you are not locked into a single hardware type.

Once two compatible devices are active, they automatically connect and create a self-healing mesh network.

Why Two Devices?

Haven uses true mesh networking (802.11s):

• Each node connects directly with others
• No central router required
• The network expands as you add more nodes

A single device is useful for setup and learning, but real testing and communication require at least two nodes.

👍 Pro Tip (Cheaper Way to Start)

You don’t need two full Haven builds.

Many builders start with:

• 1 Haven node
• 1 lightweight HaLow client (Morse Micro USB, Heltec dongle, XIAO-based build, etc.)

This lets you test range and performance while keeping costs low.

</aside>

<aside> 🎁

Haven Builder Rebate Program

Document your build, share proof, and earn your money back.

Redeem here: https://tally.so/r/44rlgk

</aside>

📘 What’s Inside This Field Manual

Table of Contents

How to Use This Guide

• 📼 FYI — video playback

<aside> 🎬

Demonstration Of What We’re Looking to Build

See Haven in action before you build it — two nodes, one self-healing mesh, zero middlemen.

</aside>

modern-radio1.mp4

<aside> ⚡

Why Haven hits different

A commodity-parts alternative to $8,000+ MPU5-class radios — built from gear you can actually buy, mostly from English-speaking allied supply chains, with zero lock-in.

• 🌍 Mostly allied supply chain. The big-ticket parts come from English-speaking allied countries — the Raspberry Pi is manufactured in Wales (UK) and the Morse Micro HaLow silicon is designed in Sydney, Australia — and most of the rest is off-the-shelf gear from U.S./E.U. distributors (DigiKey, Mouser, Amazon). A handful of smaller components still originate in China, but it's minimal and the core compute and radio stack is sourced transparently from friendly suppliers.
• 🔋 Standard removable 21700 lithium-ion cells. No proprietary battery pack, no OEM cartridge — swap cells like flashlight batteries when they wear out.
• 📡 Overclocked HaLow radio. 27 dBm TX vs. ~22 dBm on most stock HaLow gear — roughly 3.2× more output power for real link budget, all within FCC limits.
• 🕸️ True 802.11s mesh + BATMAN-adv. Standards-based, self-healing routing on top of a unified Layer 2 mesh — not a proprietary vendor protocol you can't audit or fork.
• 🧬 Sovereign routing layer. Optional Reticulum on top for encrypted, identity-based comms — independent of any infrastructure or cloud.
• 📂 Fully open source. OpenWRT base, OpenMANET / MorseMicro images, install scripts, and integrations all live on GitHub. Fork it, audit it, build your own.
• 💸 No recurring fees or subscriptions. Buy the parts once. No cloud, no SaaS, no per-seat licensing, no activation server, no "pro tier" paywall.
• 🔌 Extensible — bring your own payload. The Pi's USB, GPIO, and I²C are all wide open. Bolt on an RTL-SDR, a LoRa sidecar (Meshtastic / Reticulum RNode), a GPS, a sensor, a small display — whatever the mission needs.
• 🖨️ 3D-printable enclosure. The MOROSX case is public-domain on Printables. Print it yourself, mod it, or send it to a service bureau — you own the physical design too.
• 🧠 You actually understand your radio. Building it yourself means you learn the entire stack — the hardware, the OS, the mesh routing, the antennas, the power system. When something breaks in the field, you can fix it. When you want to extend it, you know exactly where to plug in. No black boxes, no "call the vendor" — just gear you genuinely know inside and out. </aside>