--- id: overview title: Overview sidebar_label: Overview slug: /getting-started --- ## Purchase a Radio The easiest way is to [buy a device with the software already installed](https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001178678568.html). Other devices are [available](/docs/hardware/tbeam-hardware). In the Americas get the 915mhz version, in Europe the 868Mhz, or Asia 923Mhz. See this listing by [The Things Network](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/docs/lorawan/frequencies-by-country.html) for frequencies by specific countries. ## Setup the Radio When it arrives, install your antenna and make sure you install the battery correctly. Reversing the battery can damage your device. Make sure the antenna is on when you power up the board. :::caution Make sure not to power the radio on without first attaching the antenna! You could damage the radio chip! ::: ## Download Firmware Prebuilt binaries for the supported radios are available in our releases. Your initial installation has to happen over USB from your Mac, Windows or Linux PC. Once our software is installed, all future software updates can happen over bluetooth from your phone. | [Current Firmware](https://github.com/meshtastic/meshtastic-device/releases/latest) | [List of Firmware Versions](https://github.com/meshtastic/meshtastic-device/releases/) | | :--------------: | :-----------------------: | ## Flashing Firmware If your device already has Meshtastic flashed to it, You can update it over the air (OTA). Otherwise you'll need a computer and a **data** USB cable. This can be done in the following ways: - Install using the command line interface (CLI) - Install using a graphical user interface (GUI) The firmware installation method will also depend on whether you have an ESP32 based device or a nRF52 based device. See our [hardware section](/docs/hardware) to determine which microcontroller your device is based on. ## Connect to your Device There are many ways to connect to your new radio! - Command line interface (CLI) - Graphic user interface (GUI) - Serial connection - Bluetooth - Web app over wifi (in development) ## Troubleshooting For any issues during setup, search [our forum](https://meshtastic.discourse.group) to find a solution. If you can't find one, please post your problem, providing as much detail as possible.