Sideband is an extensible LXMF messaging and LXST telephony client, situational awareness tracker and remote control and monitoring system for Android, Linux, macOS and Windows. It allows you to communicate with other people or LXMF-compatible systems over Reticulum networks using LoRa, Packet Radio, WiFi, I2P, Encrypted QR Paper Messages, or anything else Reticulum supports.
Sideband is completely free, end-to-end encrypted, permission-less, anonymous and infrastructure-less. Sideband uses the peer-to-peer and distributed messaging system [LXMF](https://github.com/markqvist/lxmf "LXMF"). There is no sign-up, no service providers, no "end-user license agreements", no data theft and no surveillance. You own the system.
This also means that Sideband operates differently than what you might be used to. It does not need a connection to a server on the Internet to function, and you do not have an account anywhere. Please read the Guide section included in the program, to get an understanding of how Sideband differs from other messaging systems.
- **Image** and **file transfers** over all supported mediums.
- **Audio messages** that work even over **LoRa** and **radio links**, thanks to [Codec2](https://github.com/drowe67/codec2/) and [Opus](https://github.com/xiph/opus) encoding.
- Secure and direct P2P **telemetry and location sharing**. No third parties or servers ever have your data.
- Remote **command execution and response engine**, with built-in commands, such as `ping`, `signal` reports and `echo`, and **full plugin expandability**.
Sideband is fully compatible with other LXMF clients, such as [MeshChat](https://github.com/liamcottle/reticulum-meshchat), and [Nomad Network](https://github.com/markqvist/nomadnet). The Nomad Network client also allows you to easily host Propagation Nodes for your LXMF network, and more.
Sideband can run on most computing devices, but installation methods vary by device type and operating system. For installation instructions, please find the relevant section below.
After the application is installed on your Android device, it is also possible to pull updates directly through the **Repository** section of the application.
On all Linux-based operating systems, Sideband is available as a `pipx`/`pip` package. This installation method **includes desktop integration**, so that Sideband will show up in your applications menu and launchers. Below are install steps for the most common recent Linux distros. For Debian 11, see the end of this section.
If you do not already have Reticulum connectivity set up on your computer or local network, you will probably want to edit the Reticulum configuration file at `~/.reticulum/config` and [add any interfaces](https://reticulum.network/manual/interfaces.html) you need for connectivity.
You can install Sideband on all Raspberry Pi models that support 64-bit operating systems, and can run at least Python version 3.11. Since some of Sideband's dependencies don't have pre-built packages ready for 64-bit ARM processors yet, you'll need to install a few extra packages, that will allow building these while installing.
Aditionally, the `pycodec2` package needs to be installed manually. I have provided a pre-built version, that you can download and install with a single command, or if you don't want to trust my pre-built version, you can [build and install it from source yourself](https://github.com/gregorias/pycodec2/blob/main/DEV.md).
The install instructions below assume that you are installing Sideband on 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS (based on Debian Bookworm or later). If you're running something else on your Pi, you might need to modify some commands slightly. To install Sideband on Raspberry Pi with full support for voice calls, audio messages and Codec2, follow these steps:
If you do not already have Reticulum connectivity set up on your computer or local network, you will probably want to edit the Reticulum configuration file at `~/.reticulum/config` and [add any interfaces](https://reticulum.network/manual/interfaces.html) you need for connectivity.
You can download a disk image with Sideband for macOS (ARM and Intel) from the [latest release page](https://github.com/markqvist/Sideband/releases/latest). Simply mount the downloaded disk image, drag `Sideband` to your applications folder, and run it.
**Please note!** If you have application install restrictions enabled on your macOS install, or have restricted your system to only allow installation of application from the Apple App Store, you will need to create an exception for Sideband. The Sideband application will *never* be distributed with an Apple-controlled digital signature, as this will allow Apple to simply disable Sideband from running on your system if they decide to do so, or are forced to by authorities or other circumstances.
If you install Sideband from the DMG file, it is still recommended to install the `rns` package via the `pip` or `pipx` package manager, so you can use the RNS utility programs, like `rnstatus` to see interface and connectivity status from the terminal. If you already have Python and `pip` installed on your system, simply open a terminal window and use one of the following commands:
```bash
# Install Reticulum and utilities with pip:
pip3 install rns
# On some versions, you may need to use the
# flag --break-system-packages to install:
pip3 install rns --break-system-packages
```
If you do not have Python and `pip` available, [download and install it](https://www.python.org/downloads/) first.
If you do not already have Reticulum connectivity set up on your computer or local network, you will probably want to edit the Reticulum configuration file at `~/.reticulum/config` and [add any interfaces](https://reticulum.network/manual/interfaces.html) you need for connectivity.
For more advanced setups, including the ability to run Sideband in headless daemon mode, enable debug logging output, configuration import and export and more, you may want to install it from the source package via `pip` instead.
**Please note!** The very latest Python release, Python 3.13 is currently **not** compatible with the Kivy framework, that Sideband uses to render its user interface. If your version of macOS uses Python 3.13 as its default Python installation, you will need to install an earlier version as well. Using [the latest release of Python 3.12](https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-3127/) is recommended.
Simply download the packaged Windows ZIP file from the [latest release page](https://github.com/markqvist/Sideband/releases/latest), unzip the file, and run `Sideband.exe` from the unzipped directory. You can create desktop or start menu shortcuts from this executable if needed.
When running Sideband for the first time, a default Reticulum configuration file will be created, if you don't already have one. If you don't have any existing Reticulum connectivity available locally, you may want to edit the file, located at `C:\Users\USERNAME\.reticulum\config` and manually add an interface that provides connectivity to a wider network. If you just want to connect over the Internet, you can add one of the public hubs on the [Reticulum Testnet](https://reticulum.network/connect.html).
Though the ZIP file contains everything necessary to run Sideband, it is also recommended to install the Reticulum command line utilities separately, so that you can use commands like `rnstatus` and `rnsd` from the command line. This will make it easier to manage Reticulum connectivity on your system. If you do not already have Python installed on your system, [download and install it](https://www.python.org/downloads/) first.
**Important!** When asked by the installer, make sure to add the Python program to your `PATH` environment variables. If you don't do this, you will not be able to use the `pip` installer, or run any of the installed commands. When Python has been installed, you can open a command prompt and install the Reticulum package via `pip`:
For more advanced setups, including the ability to run Sideband in headless daemon mode, enable debug logging output, configuration import and export and more, you may want to install it from the source package via `pip` instead.
In this case, you will need to [download and install the latest supported version of Python](https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-3127/) (currently Python 3.12.7), since very latest Python release, Python 3.13 is currently **not** compatible with the Kivy framework, that Sideband uses to render its user interface. The binary package already includes a compatible Python version, so if you are running Sideband from that, there is no need to install a specific version of Python.
The Sideband application can now be launched by running the command `sideband` in the command prompt. If needed, you can create a shortcut for Sideband on your desktop or in the start menu.
Since this installation method automatically installs the `rns` and `lxmf` packages as well, you will also have access to using all the included RNS and LXMF utilities like `rnstatus`, `rnsd` and `lxmd` on your system.
Sideband features a flexible and extensible plugin system, that allows you to hook all kinds of control, status reporting, command execution and telemetry collection into the LXMF messaging system. Plugins can be created as either *Telemetry*, *Command* or *Service* plugins, for different use-cases.
To create plugins for Sideband, you can find a variety of [code examples](https://github.com/markqvist/Sideband/tree/main/docs/example_plugins), that you can use as a basis for writing your own plugins. Sideband includes 20+ built-in sensor types to chose from, for representing all kinds telemetry data. If none of those fit your needs, there is a `Custom` sensor type, that can include any kind of data.
Command plugins allow you to define any kind of action or command to be run when receiving command messages from other LXMF clients. In the example directory, you will find various command plugin templates, for example for viewing security cameras or webcams through Sideband.
Service plugins allow you to integrate any kind of service, bridge or other system into Sideband, and have that react to events or state changes in Sideband itself.
You can try out the paper messaging functionality by using the following QR-code. It is a paper message sent to the LXMF address `6b3362bd2c1dbf87b66a85f79a8d8c75`. To be able to decrypt and read the message, you will need to import the following base32-encoded Reticulum Identity into the app:
You can import the identity into Sideband in the **Encryption Keys** part of the program. After the you have imported the identity, you can scan the following QR-code and open it in the app, where it will be decrypted and added to your messages.
You can also find the entire message in <ahref="lxm://azNivSwdv4e2aoX3mo2MdTAozuI7BlzrLlHULmnVgpz3dNT9CMPVwgywzCJP8FVogj5j_kU7j7ywuvBNcr45kRTrd19c3iHenmnSDe4VEd6FuGsAiT0Khzl7T81YZHPTDhRNp0FdhDE9AJ7uphw7zKMyqhHHxOxqrYeBeKF66gpPxDceqjsOApvsSwggjcuHBx9OxOBy05XmnJxA1unCKgvNfOFYc1T47luxoY3c0dLOJnJPwZuFRytx2TXlQNZzOJ28yTEygIfkDqEO9mZi5lgev7XZJ0DvgioQxMIyoCm7lBUzfq66zW3SQj6vHHph7bhr36dLOCFgk4fZA6yia2MlTT9KV66Tn2l8mPNDlvuSAJhwDA_xx2PN9zKadCjo9sItkAp8r-Ss1CzoUWZUAyT1oDw7ly6RrzGBG-e3eM3CL6u1juIeFiHby7_3cON-6VTUuk4xR5nwKlFTu5vsYMVXe5H3VahiDSS4Q1aqX7I">this link</a>:
On operating systems that allow for registering custom URI-handlers, you can click the link, and it will be decoded directly in your LXMF client. This works with Sideband on Android.
Permission is hereby granted to use Sideband in binary form, for any and all purposes, and to freely distribute binary copies of the program, so long as no payment or compensation is charged or received for such distribution or use.
