Seeed's New, Ruggedized SenseCAP T1000-E Card Tracker Comes with Meshtastic Pre-Loaded

Seeed Studio has launched an updated version of its SenseCAP T1000 Card Tracker, the ruggedized T1000-E — and, thanks to its newly-developed firmware, is positioning the device as the world's first Meshtastic-compatible location tracker with an IP65 rating.

"Imagine you’re in a place with no 4G, 5G, or Wi-Fi. How would you stay safe and keep in touch with your friends," Seeed's Zero Zhang prompts. "You might think of walkie-talkies or satellite phones, they can indeed be useful in certain situations. But today, I want to share with you our new T1000 meshtastic tracker that is cheaper, uses less power, covers more range, and is easy to use called SenseCAP Card Tracker T1000-E. With the T1000-E, you can easily build open-source, off-grid, decentralized and free LoRa mesh network for reliable long-range, low-power communication, real-time positioning, as well as getting some environmental data."

The SenseCAP T1000-E isn't, strictly speaking, a new device: the company unveiled its predecessors, the T1000-A through -D inclusive, back in August last year. What the E-suffixed variant brings to the table is robustness: the redesigned housing, now eye-catchingly translucent, is IP65 rated — meaning it's dust-tight and protected against water jets from any direction. While that doesn't mean it's good to take for a swim, it's a high enough rating that even the heaviest of rainstorms shouldn't cause too much trouble for the gadget.

The tracker is based around three core modules: a Semtech LR1110 LoRa radio module, a Nordic Semiconductor nRF52840 Bluetooth and IEEE 802.15.4 radio module, and a Mediatek AG3335 Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio module. All told, that's enough to deliver both short- and long-range low-power radio connectivity with accurate location tracking — but Seeed is aiming higher, with a stock firmware supporting the Meshtastic LoRa mesh networking project.

"No signal or gateways needed," Zhang promises. "You can create a free mesh network with any T1000-E, even mix it with other Meshtastic devices. Any of these can act as a repeater to extend your message range. Any two T1000-Es can [also] communicate directly over a distance of 5-10km [around 3-6 miles]."

This isn't Seeed's first device to officially support Meshtastic: back in July the company launched the Wio Tracker 110 Dev Kit for Meshtastic, joining variants that had previously targeted those working with LoRaWAN and Amazon Sidewalk networks. It is, however, the most compact and robust — though, with no screen or input device of its own, requires pairing to a smartphone, tablet, or laptop in order to actually make use of the mesh network for communication.

The SenseCAP Card Tracker T1000-E for Meshtastic is available to pre-order on the Seeed Studio store, priced at $39.90 with a 10 percent discount for those buying two or more; hardware is expected to ship in mid-September, the company has confirmed.