Hey there! 👋 I personally hate the glitchy Bluetooth intercoms of the past that you have to pair on the side of the road and then learn hundred different bugs and pairing sequences to actually use them.
The Mesh Intercoms are better. Easy connect and disconnect. No mumbo-jumbo on the side of the road. They just work! Connection is safe and self-reconnects if you get out of range for a while.
Regarding functionality, Mesh technology is similar to Bluetooth, yet it has a bigger unit-to-unit range. Its key distinction is that each device within a Mesh network acts as a node, enhancing signal coverage. Additionally, if the MESH device falls out of range – it will reconnect on its own as soon as it gets back within range.
Here are some basic helmet intercom use cases:
- Talk to fellow riders.
- Listen to music and share your music from your phone with others in the group.
- Receive GPS directions audibly, and stay focused on the road ahead without the fear of missing a turn.
- Answer phone calls through the intercom without stopping or taking your helmet off.
Contents
What to look for when choosing a Mesh Helmet intercom?
- A signal range – 400 meters is the minimum for convenient communication. Especially if you are overtaking trucks and the group may split so the distance between the first and last person may be a kilometer or more. Good thing that Mesh intercoms work as transmitters so if the range is too big and there is a person in between – his mesh will actually transfer the signal from the first person to the last.
- Speaker quality – this one is important as there are many external noises including wind and engine sound. Quality speakers should provide clear sound at high volume while decreasing ambient sound pollution. Secondly, speakers shouldn’t press or irritate your ears. Additionally, consider installing a windshield deflector to reduce wind noise from wind hitting your helmet.
- Weatherproofing – intercom systems that aren’t waterproof are less reliable, as it’s inevitable that you’ll occasionally be caught in the rain while on the road.
- Ease of use – all buttons and functions should be intuitive and easy to use while wearing motorcycle gloves. Actually, working voice commands are a huge plus since you don’t have to take your hand off the handlebar.
- Brand Reliability and Reputation.
- Battery life and ability to charge it as it is being used. 8 hours is the minimum I would go for. The ability to charge the Intercom as it is being used from the USB connector is a plus.
- Compatibility with other brand intercoms.
- Audio multi-channeling. If you are listening to music and someone says something – the music volume will slightly decrease and you will hear your partner with music playing in the background.
Best Overall
#1 CARDO PACKTALK EDGE
Intercom Type: Mesh
Unit-to-unit max-range: 1.6 km
Group max range: 8 km
Max Group members: 15
Speakers: JBL 40mm
Built-in FM radio: ✅ Yes
Music sharing: ✅ Yes
Mobile app: ✅ Yes (Cardo Connect)
Waterproof: ✅ Yes IP67 rating
Battery life: 13 hrs talk time
Audio multitasking: ✅ Yes
Benefits & Features
✅ No guesswork with charging. It tells you the remaining percentage each time you switch it off.
✅ Can be charged and used simultaneously. If you forget to charge it, no worries, just connect it to your motorcycle’s charger and continue using it.
✅ Magnetic mounting. Convenient for daily use if you want to keep your helmet in the garage and take Cardo home for charging. ⚠️ However, note that there are reports of people losing their intercoms on the go since it is not as secure as a standard click-in mount.
✅ Voice Control. Answer or ignore calls, and control volume with voice commands. The main benefit of this is that there is no need to take your hands off the handlebar. I find it super useful in cold weather when my hands are inside handlebar gauntlets or in heated gloves that are extra thick and make pressing intercom buttons less intuitive than summer gloves.
✅ Intuitive control wheel. Cardo’s control wheel is intuitive and user-friendly, often favored over Sena’s by those who’ve switched.
✅ Cardo offers universal connectivity – it pairs with any major brand headset.
✅ Smart audio multitasking. Listen to music, FM radio, take calls, and use the intercom all at once. The software decides which sound gets priority.
✅ Share your favorite tunes with others while riding – Cardo lets everyone in your group groove to the same beat 😋.
✅ Theoretical Group max range of 8 km. The max range between 2 devices is claimed at 1.6 km. However, the real-life range is closer to 800 meters which is still very good. For example, SENA’s real-life range is around 500 meters.
✅ Automatic volume scaling: The system adjusts volume automatically in response to ambient noise.
✅ Upgraded to Bluetooth 5.2 for pairing with phones and other devices: Bluetooth 5.2 allows faster wireless software updates and quicker device pairing with stronger phone-to-intercom data transfer leading to better music sound.
✅ No flip-up antenna without intercom range decrease. Less moving parts means better waterproofness and one less item to break.
⚠️ Cardo claims IP67 waterproof rating. However, due to the control wheel design, it is not completely true. The good thing is that CARDO will replace the damaged unit under warranty due to their waterproof claim compared to SENA which won’t.
WORTH MENTIONING
#2 Sena 50S
Intercom Type: Mesh
Unit-to-unit max-range: 1.6 km
Group max range: 8 km
Max Group members: 24
Speakers: Harman Kardon 40mm
Built-in FM radio: ✅ Yes
Music sharing: ✅ Yes
Mobile app: ✅ Yes (Sena Motorcycles App)
Waterproof: ⚠️ No (Water-resistant)
Battery life: 11 hrs of talk time
Audio multitasking: ✅ Yes
Benefits & Features
✅ Speakers by Harman Kardon. Sena claims that 50S has a 60% improvement in sound clarity and enhanced bass due to Bluetooth 5.2 (used to pair with your phone) and new speakers designed by Harman Kardon.
✅ Create private conversation channels within a larger group conversation. Sort of a private room if you want to speak to someone within your group in a private chat. This is possible thanks to a Mesh network technology that allows up to nine channels. You can switch between channel frequencies for conversations with different riding group members.
✅ Charging cable has a Wi-Fi connector that automatically updates Sena Software to the latest version whenever you charge it up. So you don’t need to waste time and effort to do it yourself.
⚠️ Not waterproof due to selector wheel design. May break under heavy rain and they won’t replace it since they don’t claim IP67 waterproof rating.
⚠️ Sena lies about range. The Claimed 1.6 km unit-to-unit is not true. It is 600 meters at best, which is still good. So why lie?
⚠️ Sena controls are not as intuitive to use with gloves compared to Cardo. The flip-up MESH antenna of the Sena 50S is difficult to open with rain or cold weather gloves. The positioning of the MESH button on the Sena 50S makes it difficult to use.
The Most Low-Profile MESH intercom
#3 CARDO PACKTALK SLIM
Intercom Type: Mesh
Unit-to-unit max-range: 1 km
Group max range: 6 km
Max Group members: 15
Speakers: JBL 40mm
Built-in FM radio: ✅ Yes
Music sharing: ✅ Yes
Mobile app: ✅ Yes (Cardo Connect)
Waterproof: ✅ Yes IP67 rating
Battery life: 13 hrs talk time
Audio multitasking: ✅ Yes
Benefits & Features
✅ Same main features as EDGE and BOLD including FM radio, Music Sharing, Audio Multitasking, same battery life, and same speakers. The Controls are different, MESH range is slightly less. Overall this is actually the one I would get for myself due to its simplicity and durability.
✅ Actually Waterproof. The IP67 rating is the same as with EDGE and BOLD. However, because PACKTALK Slim does not have a wheel scroll – it is actually waterproof compared to the other two. The PACKTALK SLIM will withstand water immersion up to a depth of one meter.
✅ Low Profile Design: Without the scroll wheel the unit is smaller and more compact. It can be mounted at the back of the helmet leading to less aerodynamic drag if you ride a naked bike. It is also slimmer compared to EDGE and BOLD.
⚠️ Claimed unit-to-unit range is slightly less compared to EDGE and BOLD since it does not have an antenna. In real life, it still has 600 meters range which is 100% usable in most group riding situations.
⚠️ Bluetooth 4.1 compared to EDGE’s 5.2
WORTH MENTIONING
#4 CARDO PACKTALK BOLD
Intercom Type: Mesh / Bluetooth
Unit-to-unit max-range: 1.6 km
Group max range: 6 km
Max Group members: 15
Speakers: JBL 40mm
Built-in FM radio: ✅ Yes
Music sharing: ✅ Yes
Mobile app: ✅ Yes (Cardo Connect)
Waterproof: ✅ Yes IP67 rating
Battery life: 13 hrs talk time
Audio multitasking: ✅ Yes
Benefits & Features
✅ Same as PACKTALK EDGE in terms of functionality, voice controls, audio sharing, FM radio, battery life, and speakers.
✅ Bold uses clip mount compared to EDGE’s magnet mount. I like the clip mount more since I trust it more. However, the magnet mount is more convenient if you take it off your helmet regularly. For example, if you secure your helmet to your bike in order not to bring it with you but don’t want to leave an expensive intercom attached to it.
⚠️ Bluetooth 4.1 compared to EDGE’s 5.2
⚠️ Max volume is 30% less compared to EDGE. If your bike has poor wind protection in the helmet area and you get lots of wind noise – Edge will have an advantage when riding at highway speeds.
⚠️ Bold has to be plugged into the computer for updates compared to Edge which can be updated using a cardo connect app.
⚠️ Does not notify of remaining charge when turning off compared to EDGE which notifies users of battery percentage. The Bold just signals when it is powering down.
WORTH MENTIONING
#5 SENA SPIDER ST1
Intercom Type: Mesh
Unit-to-unit max-range: 1.6 km
Group max range: 8 km
Max Group members: 24
Speakers: Premium HD Speakers 40mm
Built-in FM radio: ⚠️ No
Music sharing: ⚠️ No (removed in 2022)
Mobile app: ✅ Yes (Sena Motorcycles App)
Waterproof: ⚠️ No (Water-resistant)
Battery life: 11 hrs of talk time
Audio multitasking: ✅ Yes
Benefits & Features
✅ Cheaper version with fewer features. If you don’t need FM Radio, music sharing, and voice control features – then no need to overpay for a more expensive 50S or Cardo Edge. I would still choose the Cardo SLIM though since it costs the same as SPIDER ST1, however, Cardo SLIM is waterproof and has FM RADIO and Music sharing features.
✅ Has Bluetooth 5.2 which is better compared to the same-priced Cardo SLIM that has Bluetooth 4.2.
⚠️ Slightly smaller battery but 11 hours of talk time is more than enough for my needs.
⚠️ No Voice control feature.
⚠️ Spider ST1 does not support FM radio.
⚠️ No Voice Control feature.
WORTH MENTIONING
#6 Sena 30K
Intercom Type: Mesh / Bluetooth
Unit-to-unit max-range: 2 km
Group max range: 8 km
Max Group members: 24
Speakers: HD speakers 40mm
Built-in FM radio: ✅ Yes
Music sharing: ✅ Yes
Mobile app: ✅ Yes (Sena Motorcycles App)
Waterproof: ✅ Yes IP67 rating
Battery life: 13 hrs of talk time
Audio multitasking: ✅ Yes
Benefits & Features
✅ Has both MESH and Bluetooth intercoms. You can pair this with older intercom systems through Bluetooth and with modern intercoms via MESH. Using Bluetooth instead of MESH is like riding a horse instead of a car. So basically you just carry an old piece of hardware that won’t be required in the future anyway. But you still get it so I guess it may be considered as a plus in some rare situations, right?
⚠️ Real-life range is about 500 meters and not 2 km as advertised.
⚠️ The speakers are worse compared to Sena 50S’s speakers.
⚠️ No auto-updates while charging as with Sena 50S.
WORTH MENTIONING
#7 Sena MESH Adapter for Bluetooth intercom
Intercom Type: Bluetooth to MESH Converter
Unit-to-unit max-range: 800 meters mesh
Group max range: not applicable
Max Group members: not applicable
Speakers: not applicable
Built-in FM radio: not applicable
Music sharing: not applicable
Mobile app: not applicable
Waterproof: ✅ Yes IP67 rating
Battery life: 8 hours talk time / 250 hour standby time
Audio multitasking: not applicable
Benefits & Features
✅ This device will turn your old Bluetooth intercom into a mesh intercom. You will have to pair your intercom with this adapter via Bluetooth the standard way. Now you can connect with MESH intercoms via MESH.
⚠️ It is expensive and current MESH intercom prices are not far away from this adapter price so you can as well just buy a new MESH intercom instead.
The Bottom Line
To sum it up, moving from Bluetooth to Mesh Intercom technology really helps improve how riders communicate. Mesh Intercoms are better because they connect and disconnect easily, they will reconnect by themselves when you fall out of range, and they can send and receive data to and from other devices over a larger area where each device operates as a node that enhances the network coverage. This is different from Bluetooth, where only one main device sends and gets data to and from other devices.
All devices in this list are actually good and you will get a good motorcycle intercom system whichever you choose. Overall Cardo has better water protection while asking less money for the same features.
I would choose Cardo Packtalk SLIM since it offers the best value for money and has all features that I need. Cardo Packtalk EDGE is the best overall in my opinion and it costs more which is a deal breaker for me since I don’t want to pay for features that I don’t need. Finally, Sena 50S has the best sound with Harman Karon speakers so go for it if you mainly want to use the intercom for music.
Additionally, there is a MESH adapter that will allow your old Bluetooth intercom to connect to the MESH network. However, it costs almost the same as Cardo Packtalk SLIM or SENA SPIDER ST1 so just upgrade to MESH intercom instead.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Differences between Bluetooth 3.0, 4.1 and 5.2
Bluetooth is used for short-range data exchange. Each next version introduces enhancements in speed, range, power consumption, and various other features. Here’s a comparative summary of Bluetooth 3.0, 4.1, and 5.2:
- Bluetooth 3.0: Released in 2009, Bluetooth 3.0 emphasized an increase in speed, supporting data transfer rates of up to 24 Mbps. However, its range is limited (approximately 10 meters), and it consumes more power relative to its successors.
- Bluetooth 4.1: Introduced in 2013, Bluetooth 4.1 brought several significant improvements. Key among them is advanced power management, the capability to run low-power applications in the background.
- Bluetooth 5.2: Launched in 2020, Bluetooth 5.2 is the most recent version. It has a broader range (up to 200 meters in line of sight with increased power), offers faster data transfer speeds, and improved support for mesh networks. It also enhances the privacy and security of Bluetooth connections.
Difference between mesh and Bluetooth in motorcycle Intercoms
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless communication technology that enables data transfer between devices within roughly 30 meters. The Bluetooth system operates using a star topology where one device acts as a central hub to which all other devices connect. However, this restricts the number of devices that can be linked and the overall range of the network.
On the contrary, mesh networking is a wireless communication method that permits multiple devices to interact directly without a central hub. This feature makes mesh networks highly scalable and capable of covering vast areas. In a mesh network, every device functions as a node, receiving and forwarding data to other nodes. Therefore, even if a single node fails, the network can continue operating, as other nodes can substitute the failing one.
Specifically, in the context of motorcycle helmet-to-helmet communication, MESH technology is a lot better than the traditional Bluetooth-powered radio intercom. It enables inter-helmet communication among an indefinite number of riders within a range extending up to 5 miles/ 8 kilometers. The mesh radio facilitates a repeater-like function, thereby extending the range beyond what two units on the intercom alone could achieve.
Although MESH intercoms still use Bluetooth for connections to devices like smartphones, inter-helmet communication is primarily powered by mesh radio technology.
