WanderVerse
WanderAway · spec sheet

The full file.

Everything our engineering, sourcing, and compliance work produced for this product. Nothing here is marketing — it's the actual document we'd hand a contract manufacturer.

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WanderAway — Full Spec (4-tier family)

Product family: WanderAway — the WanderVerse emergency beacon + LoRa + satellite tracker / check-in / SOS device for off-grid, deep-backcountry, travel, and survivor safe-passage use Device IDs: WV-SAFE-AWAY-LITE · WV-SAFE-AWAY-TRAIL · WV-SAFE-AWAY-EXPED · WV-SAFE-AWAY-ULTRA Chassis family: Palm (70-75 mm × 50-55 mm × 22-24 mm) · Palm-Rugged (80 × 60 × 28 mm, MIL-STD-810G) · Palm-Rugged-Xtreme (88 × 65 × 32 mm) Status: spec v1.0 — post-validation, SOP v2.4 native, platform + modules, dual-mode, identity-aware Supersedes: Blueprint.am wanderaway_lora_node reference build (sensor-node scope) — this expands to 4-tier personal-safety beacon family Ship target: Lite + Trail 2027-Q2 · Expedition 2027-Q4 (pending Iridium contract) · Ultra 2028-Q1 (pending Astrocast contract) Date: 2026-04-24

Shared family docs: ../_WORKFLOW-SOP.md · ../_HARDWARE-TOOLCHAIN.md · ../_STANDALONE-AND-PLATFORM-INTEGRATION.md · companions: _VALIDATION-AND-SENSOR-EXPANSION.md · _COMPETITIVE-AUDIT-2026-04-24.md

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Brief

WanderAway is a privacy-first, repair-friendly, identity-aware emergency beacon + satellite tracker that:

Four tiers serving four buyers:

TierPriceWhoKiller feature
**Beacon Lite****$89**Community mesh users, privacy-conscious hikers, bug-out-bag minimalistsLoRa-only, **zero subscription forever**, Meshtastic-compatible
**Trail****$179**Day-hikers, weekend backpackers, cabin-owners, survivor safe-passage users who stay within mesh rangeLoRa + GNSS breadcrumb + OLED + 4 buttons; still no subscription
**Expedition****$449-599**Backcountry travelers, HAVEN field workers, remote-expedition teams, solo adventurersLoRa + GNSS + Iridium SBD SOS + 2-way short messaging
**Expedition Ultra****$799**Polar / desert / maritime expeditions, SAR professionals, journalists in conflict zones, mobile-living queer nomadsLoRa + GNSS + Iridium 9670 2-way + Astrocast check-ins + integrated solar + rotary encoder

All tiers: IP68 · MIL-STD-810G · -40/+70 °C · 7-year parts · Ambassador Signature Mark · CC BY-SA STLs · Meshtastic-compatible · dual-mode per Standard 0.

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Who we serve (design pillars)

1. Survivors + undocumented + trans + queer travelers — safe-passage protocol, pre-shared trust contacts, covert mode, duress code. The category nobody else addresses. 2. Off-grid + backcountry travelers — Garmin inReach audience + outdoors community, served with identity-aware + repair-friendly + open-protocol architecture. 3. Meshtastic / community-LoRa users — the Beacon Lite is a polished, IP68-rated, Ambassador-assembled production device that slots into existing community mesh networks. 4. HAVEN field workers + mobile-living WanderVerse users — the full Expedition Ultra pairs with WanderRouter Ultra (same Iridium-modem family) + WanderBand Ultra (LoRa mesh) + WanderNode Hub (gateway) for integrated connectivity.

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Platform + module philosophy

WanderAway follows Standard 6b (platform + modules, not fixed BOM):

Platform (in every unit of its tier):

Modules (order-time axes — see CONFIGURATOR.md):

Upgrade path: Expedition can be factory-upgraded to Ultra (+solar + Astrocast + rotary encoder + extended battery). Lite cannot be upgraded to Iridium tier — different chassis + mainboard.

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Feature inventory (Stage 0 parity matrix)

FeatureLiteTrailExpeditionUltraCompetitive
LoRa 915/868 MHz (SX1262)Meshtastic DIY only in category
BLE 5.3 (phone companion)All competitors
GNSS✅ L1✅ L1✅ L1, ⭐ Lux L1/L2 RTKAll competitors (Mini 2 is L1)
OLED / Mem-LCD display0.96″ OLED1.3″ OLED1.54″ Mem-LCD1.54″ Mem-LCD + 1.0″ e-paperGarmin has mem-LCD
Buttons2 + SOS4 + SOS + check-in4 + SOS + check-in4 + SOS + check-in + rotaryMini 2 has 4 + SOS
Iridium SBD SOS (GEOS dispatch)✅ 9603N✅ 9670Garmin, ZOLEO, Bivy
Iridium 2-way messaging✅ short✅ full 2-wayGarmin, ZOLEO, Bivy
Astrocast check-insUnique
406 MHz Cospas-Sarsat PLB⭐ Lux add-onACR PLB
Solar⭐ upgrade✅ integratedGarmin Solar Fenix
IMU (fall / crash detect)Garmin
Barometer / altimeterGarmin
Humidity
Magnetometer / compassGarmin
IP68ACR (Garmin is IPX7)
MIL-STD-810G shockACR, some Garmin
MIL-STD-810G vibrationACR
-40/+70 °C operatingSome Garmin, ACR
User-swappable batteryUnique
7-year parts commitmentUnique
Open STL files (CC BY-SA)Unique
Published schematics (CC BY-SA)Unique
Meshtastic-compatible firmwareUnique
Identity-aware safe-passage mode**Unique**
Covert mode + duress codeUnique
Standalone Mode 1 (no phone)Garmin (ZOLEO/Motorola fail)
Companion app Mode 2 (iOS + Android + web)All
Apple Find My accessoryUnique in category
WanderVerse Mode 3 (Hub + mesh)Unique
No-subscription baselineLoRa yes, Iridium requires planLoRa yes, sat requires planOnly ACR PLB SOS-only
Ambassador-assembled + signedUnique

Count: 29 features inventoried. 28 covered at Ultra tier. 20 covered at Lite (the ones that matter for LoRa-baseline use).

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Hardware architecture

Mainboard (shared across tiers with stuffing options)

Antennas

Chassis

Power budget (target operating)

ModeLiteTrailExpeditionUltra
Deep sleep (Meshtastic listen interval)<50 µA<60 µA<80 µA<100 µA
Active RX (BLE + LoRa listen)~8 mA~10 mA~12 mA~14 mA
LoRa TX @ +20 dBm (burst)120 mA120 mA120 mA120 mA
Iridium TX (burst 8.3 s)1.5 A1.5 A
GNSS tracking acquisition30 mA30 mA30 mA (+ 70 mA if ZED-F9P)
Astrocast TX burst400 mA

Runtime on 3000 mAh 18650 @ 25 °C:

ProfileLiteTrailExpeditionUltra (2×)
Standby (Meshtastic listen every 5 min, no GNSS)~45 days~40 days~30 days**~60 days**
Daily check-in (1 LoRa TX / day, GNSS 30 s / day)~30 days~21 days~18 days~35 days
10-min GNSS tracking + 10-min SBD transmit (active expedition)~3 days**14 days****21 days**
Continuous GNSS + SBD every 2 min (SOS)~36 h~72 h

Ultra with solar (≥4 h daily direct sun): runtime becomes effectively indefinite in all profiles except continuous-SOS.

Thermal envelope

See THERMAL-EMC.md for full budget + derating analysis.

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Firmware architecture

OS: Zephyr RTOS 3.7+ · MCUboot A/B OTA · device-tree driven board config

Stacks:

Apps (on-device):

Over-the-air updates:

Security:

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Dual-mode spec (per Standard 0 + `../_STANDALONE-AND-PLATFORM-INTEGRATION.md`)

Mode 1 — Standalone OLED + buttons

Every tier works fully without any other hardware. Setup via on-device wizard or one-time USB-C pairing to a laptop.

Mode 2 — Phone companion app + Apple Find My + Meshtastic

Mode 3 — WanderNode Hub + WanderStation mesh

Industry integrations (required per Standard 0)

IntegrationLiteTrailExpeditionUltra
Apple Find My accessory
Apple HealthKit (trip metadata)
Apple HomeKit triggers
Google Health Connect
Google Home triggers
Matter commissioning
Home Assistant (native integration via companion app's MQTT bridge)
Meshtastic open protocol
Garmin Connect import (GPX breadcrumb track)
Strava export (trip)

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Survivor safe-passage protocol (identity-aware)

Not a marketing feature — a core product principle. Built for users the commercial emergency-device industry does not serve.

Pre-shared trust contact pattern (not broadcast)

Covert mode

Duress code

Network-routing awareness

Documentation

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Manufacturing + service philosophy

See DFM-DFA-DFT.md + SERVICE-FLOW.md for full detail.

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Pricing + margins

TierBOM FOBPCBA+assemblyTotal FOBRetailMargin
Beacon Lite$42$12**$54****$89**39 %
Trail$78$16**$94****$179**48 %
Expedition$245$28**$273****$449** (base) / **$599** (full)39 % base / 54 % full
Expedition Ultra$385$42**$427****$799**47 %

Service-plan revenue (Expedition + Ultra):

Community Pool flow (per WANDERVERSE-COMMUNITY-POOL-SPEC.md):

See CONFIGURATOR.md for per-option price deltas.

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Hard gates (all tiers)

1. IP68 — ingress-protected to submersion ≥1.5 m / 30 min 2. MIL-STD-810G shock (Method 516.6 Procedure IV for Lite/Trail · full Methods 514.6 + 516.6 for Expedition/Ultra) 3. -40 to +70 °C operating 4. LoRa service-plan-free baseline — Lite + Trail firmware never requires any cloud subscription 5. Iridium SOS routes to a real rescue coordinator — GEOS IERCC contract is Stage-10 blocker

See COMPLIANCE.md + GATE.md for full gate checklist.

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Open items carried forward

See _MANIFEST.md §"Open items" — Iridium SBD contract · FCC Part 25 resale license · Astrocast commercial terms · Swarm M138 supply validation · GEOS IERCC contract · MIL-STD-810G accredited lab · survivor safe-passage protocol design review.

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Radio architecture v2 — LR2021 migration (2026-04-25)

Primary radio: Semtech LR2021 (LoRa Gen 4 / LoRa Plus). Replaces previous multi-chip radio architecture (SX1262 + nRF52840 + CC2652R7 collapsed to one).

What this unlocks

Migration strategy: hybrid

This product is Tier-1 critical (life-safety / DV-survivor flagship / global-supply-chain anchor). Hybrid alt-source path retained:

Customer chooses at purchase. Spec tables list both with cross-references.

Cert path additions

Capability bullets for marketing copy

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**Note (Perplexity-validated 2026-04-25):** When this doc says LR2021 supports multi-PHY in one chip, the *hardware* is multi-PHY-capable, but full protocol stacks (LoRaWAN, Amazon Sidewalk, Meshtastic, Z-Wave, Wi-SUN, BLE, Thread/Zigbee) integrate via firmware layers, not all bundled native. We ship pre-built stacks for the active set per product. See `PERPLEXITY-VALIDATION-2026-04-25.md` in `_WANDERVERSE-LIBRARY/`.