mesh-net

Knowledge baseBasics

Getting started

What mesh-net is, how the public network differs from private ones, and the first three steps in the dashboard.

On this page

What mesh-net is

mesh-net gives you two things that work well together: names with DNS and mesh networks.

  • A mesh network links your devices to each other directly, over WireGuard. Each device runs the Tailscale client and gets an address like 100.64.0.7; other devices of the network reach it by that address wherever it is — behind a home router, on mobile internet, without a public IP. The coordination server only introduces the devices and hands out keys and addresses; the traffic itself goes from device to device. When a direct path is impossible, it goes through a relay, still end-to-end encrypted.
  • Names are free names in our zones, like myhome.mesh-net.space, with DNS records and dynamic DNS. If you already have a domain, its DNS can move to mesh-net too.

The public network and private networks

There are two kinds of mesh networks in mesh-net.

Public networkPrivate network
PlanFree, on every planPaid plan
DevicesUp to 5 per account (more with an add-on)No limit
Who sees whomYour devices see each other; other accounts only through roomsYou decide with access rules
Control serverShared: https://hs.mesh-net.spaceYour own, at a name of yours, e.g. https://office.mesh-net.space
Subnet routers, exit nodes, publishing servicesNoYes

Start with the public network: it is free and needs nothing but an account. Move to a private network when you need your own perimeter, more devices, access to whole LANs or services published on the internet.

Names and domains

Every account can hold 3 names on the Free plan and 10 on the Paid plan. A name lives in one of our zones (mesh-net.space, mesh-net.online, mesh-net.site) and can carry A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, TXT, SRV and CAA records. An A or AAAA record without an address is filled in by dynamic DNS; a name without records is simply reserved — for example, to become the address of a private network later. Details: Names and DNS records.

A domain you already own can be connected too: it stays with your registrar, and its DNS moves to mesh-net. It counts as one name. See Your own domain.

First steps

A new account sees a Get started block on the Overview page with three steps; each done step gets a tick. The block goes away when all three are done — or 14 days after sign-up, once you have a name or a device. Owners of private networks don't see it.

1. Claim a free name

  1. Open Domains in the menu on the left.
  2. Type a name, for example myhome, pick a zone and a record type.
  3. Enter the value (for an A record — an IPv4 address) or leave it empty, and press Add.

The record is published in DNS at once. More: Claim a name.

2. Connect a device

  1. Install the Tailscale client on the device: tailscale.com/download.
  2. Open Public network and press Add device: the dashboard shows a one-time command with a join key.
  3. Run the command on the device, then reload the page: the device is in the list with its 100.x address and the online status.

Commands for every OS: Add a device.

3. Create a room with a friend

  1. On the Public network page, find Rooms, type a room name and press Create room.
  2. In the room, tick your devices that should take part, and create an invite link for your friend.
  3. Your friend opens the link, ticks their devices and joins. The chosen devices now see each other directly.

All the options: Rooms.

Finding your way around the dashboard

  • The menu on the left: Overview (your plan, counters, active add-ons), Domains, Public network, My networks and Support.
  • The header: the EN | RU language switch, the countdown to automatic sign-out, the bell with Notifications, your profile (it leads to Overview), the gear with Account settings and Log out.
  • The ? next to a heading opens the matching part of this help in a new tab. Buttons like Add name open their form right under the header; Close (×) or Esc folds it back.
  • Prices are shown where you buy: the plan on Overview, extra names on Domains, extra devices on Public network, reverse-proxy slots on My networks. See Plans and billing.

Where to go next