The Wio Tracker L1 is a flexible Meshtastic board constructed with photo voltaic help in thoughts. Seeed Studio takes it a step additional with the Wio Tracker L1 Professional a totally assembled handheld model that features GPS, LoRa, show, battery, and enclosure, able to exit of the field. It’s one of the vital sensible solar-capable choices accessible at this time, and surprisingly, it stays competitively priced even within the Professional kind.
- Lite – naked board with LoRa + GPS, no display, battery, or case.
- L1 – provides a 1.3″ OLED display, nonetheless DIY with no battery or case.
- Professional – totally assembled handheld with display, GPS, battery, and enclosure.
On this assessment, we’ll give attention to the Professional model, whereas maintaining the usual L1 and Lite boards in thoughts for comparability.
Unboxing and First Impressions
The Wio Tracker L1 Professional comes as an entire bundle that is able to go proper out of the field. Inside, you’ll get:
- The Wio Tracker L1 Professional machine with 3D-printed enclosure
- LoRa antenna
- No USB-C Cable (Severely Seeed Studio!!!)
The construct high quality of the Wio Tracker L1 Professional is spectacular particularly for a 3D-printed machine. The textured enclosure feels stable in hand and appears surprisingly polished; in case you didn’t understand it was 3D-printed, you won’t even guess. That stated, not every part hits the identical mark. The buttons and swap really feel a bit low cost, with tough edges that stand out in comparison with the remainder of the end.
One frequent challenge that persists right here like with many related units is using plastic threading for the screws. With out steel inserts, the screw holes will seemingly put on out after a number of openings, making reassembly much less safe over time.
On the brighter facet, that is the primary Meshtastic machine with a joystick that totally takes benefit of the brand new BaseUI and it’s actually a recreation changer. Navigation is smoother, sooner, and way more intuitive than the same old button-only setups.
Along with the joystick, there is a small button subsequent to it used for choosing objects and toggling the display on or off. On the left facet of the machine, you will additionally discover the principle on/off swap and a reset button.
As for the show, it’s the usual 1.3-inch OLED, which is noticeably bigger than the favored 0.96″ model. It’s brilliant, crisp, and holds up nicely open air, particularly in circumstances the place photo voltaic charging shines.
Options Overview
The Wio Tracker L1 Professional comes filled with {hardware} that balances effectivity, expandability, and value.
At its core is the Nordic nRF52840 Meshtastic’s most energy environment friendly MCU so far paired with the dependable SX1262 LoRa radio, which avoids the compatibility points seen in chips just like the LR1110. It runs throughout the 862–930MHz vary and handles long-range communication with ease.
For positioning, it features a built-in L76K GPS module with help for GPS, BeiDou, GLONASS, and QZSS. No add-on modules or further wiring required every part is built-in from the beginning.
The Professional and customary variations include a 1.3-inch OLED show bigger than the frequent 0.96″ whereas the Lite skips the display to avoid wasting energy and value. An e-ink model is rumored to be on the way in which for even decrease energy draw.
On the connectivity facet, you get Bluetooth 5.0 for fast wi-fi setup, and a buzzer is included for audible alerts for incoming messages or system suggestions.
For DIY and enlargement, the board contains:
- 1x Grove connector (UART/IIC/GPIO)
- Plated By way of Holes for UART, IIC, GPIO, and analog enter
- SWD pads, plus uncovered battery, photo voltaic, and GND strains for modding
Energy choices are a standout right here:
- USB-C (5V @ 1A)
- Photo voltaic enter (5V @ 1A)
- Li-ion battery (3.7V @ 1A)
Port format is as follows:
- USB-C port is on the left facet of the machine
- Battery connector is on the again facet
- Photo voltaic enter is on the entrance, the display facet
⚠️
Whereas the photo voltaic and battery connectors are situated shut to one another (simply on reverse sides of the board), they use completely different connector varieties.
The battery is a JST 1.25mm and photo voltaic connector use JST 2.0mm. The Professional model features a 2000mAh Li-ion battery out of the field.
Flashing the Firmware
The machine comes preflashed with Meshtastic model 2.6.xx, however if you wish to replace it to make the most of the joystick with the BaseUI model 2.7.xx, here is the method:
- Navigate to the Meshtastic Web Flasher.
- Choose Seeed Wio Tracker L1 from the machine choices.
- You will must enter DFU mode (Machine Firmware Replace mode) to proceed.
- Possibility one: Double press the button on the left (the one used for reset) and a USB drive ought to present up in your laptop.
- Possibility two: Click on on Enter DFU Mode (After Clicking on Flash and Proceed), choose the right COM Port, then click on Join.
- As soon as in DFU mode, the Seeed Wio Tracker L1 will seem as a drive in your laptop.
- Obtain the Flash Erase UF2 file and duplicate it to the DFU drive. After transferring, the drive will disappear.
- As soon as the machine is finished rebooting, the machine will begin within the new firmware.
💡
Don’t click on the trash icon to erase the flash.
There’s at the moment a brief challenge with Meshtastic that may trigger the machine to interrupt
Efficiency
Battery Life and Photo voltaic Efficiency
The L1 Professional stands out with its built-in photo voltaic charging capabilities. In our real-world testing with a 2000mAh battery, the efficiency was fairly spectacular. Whereas Seeed Studio claims as much as 5 days of battery life, our take a look at outcomes confirmed:
- Battery-only operation: With GPS disabled and minimal display interplay, the machine lasted from 2025-07-05 16:49:15 to 2025-07-08 01:00:17 practically 2.5 days. Though this falls wanting Seeed’s 5-day declare, it is nonetheless a superb outcome contemplating the OLED display and in comparison with related units in the marketplace.
- Photo voltaic-assisted operation: We’ve not been capable of totally take a look at the photo voltaic charging characteristic attributable to lack parts from our facet. Nevertheless, primarily based on Seeed Studio’s sturdy efficiency with earlier solar-only nodes, we anticipate the L1 Professional’s photo voltaic integration to be simply as dependable seemingly supporting steady operation beneath good daylight and typical utilization circumstances.
GPS Efficiency
The L76K GPS chip performs fairly nicely in real-world use. Because of its multi-constellation help (GPS, BeiDou, GLONASS, and QZSS), we persistently noticed sooner lock instances and extra satellites in view in comparison with single-constellation setups like GY-NEO6MV2.
That stated, it’s onerous to make a definitive comparability to different units, since GPS efficiency can fluctuate relying on the time of day, location, and variety of satellites in view.
In our testing:
- Preliminary lock sometimes took round 30–60 seconds beneath clear skies
- Subsequent fixes have been noticeably sooner
- Accuracy was persistently within the 3–5 meter vary open air
- Indoors, it may nonetheless get a repair close to home windows, however full out of doors use is really useful
💡
GPS is totally built-in, so it doesn’t take up any enlargement slots or headers. That leaves the Grove connector and PTH pins free on your personal sensors or equipment.
Vary and Connectivity
The included antenna feels a bit flimsy at the very least on our unit. When bent, it generally slips misplaced, which may simply be a one-off challenge. On the plus facet, it’s properly compact and never cumbersome like some bigger antennas.
For vary testing, we caught to our regular methodology: strolling in a straight line away from the bottom node to see how far the sign would maintain. To get exact location knowledge, we built-in Telemetry Harbor with an iPhone shortcut that triggers every time a message acknowledgment comes via.
The outcomes have been spectacular we managed round 1.8 km of dependable vary, which could be very near the wonderful vary we noticed on the T1000-E, one of many prime performers we’ve examined.
After all, components like climate, terrain, and interference all the time play a job, so this isn’t a precise science. Nonetheless, in our expertise, the Wio Tracker L1 Professional’s vary felt very near the T1000-E, although maybe rather less constant general so not pretty much as good (solely primarily based on emotions).
The exterior antenna connector additionally means you may improve to a higher-gain antenna if you wish to push the bounds even additional.
Show and Person Interface
The 1.3-inch OLED display on the Wio Tracker L1 Professional is nice by itself, however what actually makes it shine is the brand new joystick and the BaseUI. BaseUI is a part of Meshtastic 2.7 (nonetheless in alpha), and it’s a giant improve from the previous interface. Earlier than, most units may solely scroll via data or ship canned messages in case you had a rotary encoder. Now, with BaseUI and the joystick, issues really feel far more intuitive and helpful.
You may simply navigate menus, ship preset messages, reply to messages, flip GPS on or off, change LoRa areas, regulate sounds, set your timezone, examine the clock, and handle favourite nodes all proper on the machine. It’s an enormous step up in usability and makes having a display really worthwhile.
The display itself is greater and clearer than the frequent 0.96″ OLEDs, and it stays readable exterior in brilliant gentle. Total, the joystick plus BaseUI make this machine a lot simpler and nicer to make use of in comparison with older Meshtastic units.
One other surprisingly helpful addition is the built-in buzzer. It provides easy suggestions while you scroll via menus, make picks, obtain messages, and extra. It’s nothing fancy, nevertheless it really helps make the machine really feel extra responsive particularly when paired with the joystick.
Within the present BaseUI, there’s even a characteristic the place the machine can learn out messages utilizing the buzzer tones. It is a bit tough across the edges and sort of gimmicky, however nonetheless it is there, and it exhibits what’s attainable with this setup.
Additionally price mentioning are the three onboard LEDs, stacked vertically on the left of the machine. The highest LED signifies mesh standing and blinks orange throughout exercise. The center LED exhibits charging standing pink when charging and the underside LED lights orange when the photo voltaic enter is lively. They’re easy however useful at-a-glance indicators that make it simpler to observe what the machine is doing with out diving into the UI.
That stated, have in mind: BaseUI remains to be in alpha, and never every part we’re seeing now’s assured to make it into the steady launch. However even at this stage, the combo of display, joystick, and buzzer places the L1 Professional in a significantly better place usability-wise than most different Meshtastic units.
Expandability and Customization
The Wio Tracker L1 Professional gives respectable expandability however with a number of compromises, particularly in case you’re utilizing the enclosed Professional model.
It features a single Grove connector (sure, only one), together with PTH headers that expose UART, I2C, GPIO, and analog strains. You additionally get SWD pads for debugging or extra superior customization. Whereas that single Grove port would possibly really feel a bit limiting particularly when in comparison with boards that provide two or extra it’s comprehensible given the excessive profile of the Grove connector and the tight house constraints within the case.
In principle, this setup opens the door to issues like environmental sensing, exterior shows, or different I2C/UART add-ons. However in apply, there are some actual limitations notably with the Professional model’s enclosure.
Each the Grove and photo voltaic ports are situated proper on the display facet edge, and as soon as the case is on, they turn into tough if not unimaginable to make use of cleanly. The photo voltaic enter would possibly simply match with a slim connector, however the Grove cable must bend extraordinarily sharply, which we actually don’t advocate. It places pressure on the cable and dangers injury.
In comparison with units just like the WisMesh Pocket V2 or RAKwireless Modules, which use a lot lower-profile, case-friendly connectors, the L1 Professional’s enlargement setup simply isn’t as polished.
That stated, in case you’re into DIY, you may work round these limitations. The PTH pins and SWD pads provide you with one other strategy to join peripherals or sensors although it means soldering and a little bit of a “hacky” strategy. It really works, nevertheless it’s not plug-and-play.
Nice expandability on the naked board, however the Professional’s enclosure positively limits what you may realistically do with out modification.
Pricing
Handheld
The Wio Tracker L1 Professional is available in at $42.90, and for that worth, it is actually onerous to beat. You get GPS, buzzer, joystick, display, photo voltaic enter, and a 2000mAh battery in a handheld kind issue. It lasts practically 3 days in real-world use, it is slim, gentle, and prepared out of the field. That’s virtually 50% cheaper than the WisMesh Pocket V2, which sells for $99 and gives a 3200mAh battery (3–5 days), however no buzzer, joystick, or BaseUI help. So in case your focus is on usability and practicality somewhat than uncooked battery life or enlargement, Wio nails it.
Nevertheless it’s not a clear win throughout the board. The Pocket V2 contains 2 sensor slots + 1 IO slot which might be totally usable contained in the enclosure, the Wio Professional has only one Grove port, awkwardly positioned on the display facet and principally unusable with the case on. The Pocket V2 additionally contains USB-C in a position within the field. So, if expandability is must-have, the additional $50 is perhaps justified—however for us we strongly advocate the Wio by far.
When evaluating it with WisMesh Board ONE Pocket at $67, it’s powerful to advocate. The battery life is shorter (~1 day), and whereas it’s a pleasant board with GPS, it doesn’t convey something that justifies the value over the Wio. In that match-up, Wio wins hands-down.
Photo voltaic Setup
Now shifting focus to the Lite ($27.90) and customary L1 ($29.90) boards—it’s a unique recreation. At that worth level, the DIY attraction is large. In comparison with RAK’s choices just like the WisMesh Baseboard RAK19026 (at a wild $66 for simply the baseboard), it’s a no-go in any respect.
Alternatively, WisMesh Board ONE (which powers the Board ONE Pocket) and the vanilla RAK19007 make for attention-grabbing competitors. The Board ONE has no buzzer, no joystick, no GPS (except you wish to spend extra) solely helps OLED formally (if you wish to spend extra), however has a compact kind issue, higher cable routing (pins face up), 1 sensor slot, and an improved battery administration system for a similar worth level. Some would possibly choose this clear, low-profile enlargement system. The RAK19007, utilizing the older BMS, provides you 4 sensor + 1 IO slots, which is spectacular—however at the price of measurement. So to sum up you may giveaway joystick, GPS, display, buzzer for a method method smalller kind issue for a similar worth or just a little smaller however you get extra sensor slots.
For us we see that for the photo voltaic functions, RAK nonetheless holds the sting by way of battle-tested monitor document, design and long-term reliability. However Seeed Studio’s Wio platform is clearly pushing onerous—and doing it at a really compelling worth level.
Last Ideas
At $42.90, the Wio Tracker L1 Professional punches method above its weight. You get GPS, photo voltaic charging, a joystick, display, buzzer, and a 2000mAh battery multi functional bundle that really works out of the field. That is fairly wild for this worth level.
The joystick + BaseUI combo is genuinely game-changing. The interface is clean, the display is large enough to truly learn, and the buzzer suggestions makes it really feel helpful.
The photo voltaic integration is one other standout characteristic. Having real photo voltaic functionality at this worth is uncommon, and primarily based on Seeed’s monitor document with earlier photo voltaic nodes, it ought to deal with prolonged out of doors use nicely. We could not totally take a look at it, however the truth that it is there and correctly built-in (not simply tacked on) is spectacular for these worth factors.
However yeah, there are compromises. The Grove port is principally ineffective with the case on, which sucks if you wish to add sensors. The buttons really feel low cost, and people plastic screw threads are going to strip ultimately. Nonetheless, for most individuals who simply desire a stable handheld that works, these points will not matter a lot.
In case you want tons of enlargement slots or most battery life, spend the additional $50 on the WisMesh Pocket V2. However actually? For the overwhelming majority of customers, this factor hits the candy spot. It is succesful, straightforward to make use of, and would not break the bank.
The truth that Seeed managed to cram all this performance right into a $43 machine whereas maintaining it user-friendly is fairly spectacular. This seems like the primary Meshtastic handheld that common individuals would possibly really wish to use.
