Cardo Systems has released Mesh Boost, a free software update that more than doubles the size of a Packtalk intercom group, from 15 riders to 31. The update also adds Public Mesh, which lets riders talk to nearby Cardo users they have never paired with, and Remote Grouping, which builds a riding group before anyone leaves the driveway.

Mesh Boost downloads over the air via the Cardo Connect App. It runs on all second-generation Dynamic Mesh Communication units, including the Packtalk Pro, Packtalk Edge, and Packtalk Neo.

For anyone still communicating via a Bluetooth intercom, here is why mesh matters. A Bluetooth intercom connects riders in a chain. Each headset talks to the one ahead of it and the one behind it. When a rider in the middle stops for fuel or drifts out of range, the chain breaks, and everyone behind the gap goes quiet until somebody re-pairs.

A mesh network works differently. Every headset is a node that connects to every other unit it can reach, and audio relays through the riders in between. If one rider drops out, the signal reroutes through the others automatically. When that rider comes back into range, the headset rejoins without a button press. Everybody can talk at once, as on a conference call, rather than taking turns.

That relay is also what stretches the range. Cardo quotes about a mile between any two units and up to 5 miles across a full group as the signal hops from bike to bike.

Cardo calls 31 the largest mesh group in the industry. For comparison, Sena’s Group Mesh, the closest equivalent, tops out at 24 riders. Sena’s Open Mesh channels have no practical user limit, and they are open to anyone in range, rather than being private to a group.

Public Mesh covers that same open-channel ground. Riders switch it on in the Cardo Connect app and can then talk to other Mesh Boost users nearby without setting anything up in advance. It fits the rides where a group forms on the spot, such as a rally, a poker run, or a gas stop full of riders headed in the same direction. Public Mesh allows you to speak briefly and spontaneously with riders coming in the opposite direction.

Remote Grouping solves a different problem: riders who do not start from the same place. One rider generates a link in the Cardo Connect app and sends it to the others. Once those riders come within range, their headsets automatically join the mesh, with no pairing routine at the meeting point.

“Mesh Boost has always been about making group communication simpler and more capable,” Cardo Chief Marketing Officer Dan Emodi said. “While this journey took longer than we originally planned, we made a conscious decision not to compromise on reliability.”

Two features Cardo previously announced, Private Chat+ and Cellular Intercom, are not part of this release. Both are still in development, and the company has not given a date for either one.

Riders on older headsets are not shut out. While a first-generation DMC Packtalk cannot install Mesh Boost, it can still talk to riders who have it, so nobody has to sit out the ride or buy a new unit. It just does not gain Public Mesh or Remote Grouping on its own end.

Two products are not included in this release. The Harley-Davidson and Schuberth SC-Edge units do not currently receive Mesh Boost; Cardo expects to release a version for them in the fourth quarter of this year.