Trail is an open-source project for sharing messages, location, and status between people exploring, working, or traveling together. The intended system pairs a phone with a portable radio device and carries compact traffic over direct LoRa.
Phone ← BLE → Trail device ← direct LoRa → Trail device ← BLE → Phone
This is the planned product topology. An internet service is not required by the V1 design; optional maps and later repeater work have separate scope.
Trail is an experimental project, not a production release. Android and Heltec bench work demonstrates bounded secure pairing, saved-owner reconnection, protected device configuration, and display-clock synchronization. Each result applies only to the setup and limitations in its evidence record.
Secure radio experiments and host tests are separate from complete product messaging. Coherent two-phone/two-device messaging, supported hardware, field range, endurance, and release acceptance remain open. An iPhone app is not yet implemented. Trail is a supplemental communication aid, not a guaranteed rescue system.
See current project status, the V1 progress record, and the engineering backlog for accepted evidence and next gates.
- Read the development guide for prerequisites and build instructions.
- Explore the Android client, firmware components, and hardware inventory.
- Start with host validation; hardware installation has separate target, recovery, and operating requirements.
From the repository root on a configured Windows development machine:
.\tools\Test-Host.ps1For Android validation, follow the Android guide.
We welcome focused contributions to clients, firmware, testing, and documentation. An immediate opportunity is the iPhone companion app contributor brief.
Read CONTRIBUTING.md, choose a bounded item from the backlog, and discuss substantial changes before implementation. The community guide explains how to get involved. Report sensitive issues through SECURITY.md.
The documentation index routes readers to architecture, protocols, hardware evidence, and project records. Dated engineering updates live in the progress log. The future-concepts register separates longer-term ideas from current release commitments.
Trail is available under the Apache License 2.0.