Sideband is an extensible LXMF messaging 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.
- **Secure** and **self-sovereign** messaging using the LXMF protocol over Reticulum.
- **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.
- Situation display on both online and **locally stored offline maps**.
- 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.
For your Android devices, you can install Sideband through F-Droid, by adding the [Between the Borders Repo](https://reticulum.betweentheborders.com/fdroid/repo/), or you can download an [APK on the latest release page](https://github.com/markqvist/Sideband/releases/latest). Both sources are signed with the same release keys, and can be used interchangably.
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.
**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 Linux distribution 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.
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). If you're running something else on your Pi, you might need to modify some commands slightly. To install Sideband on Raspberry Pi, follow these steps:
```bash
# First of all, install the required dependencies:
You can download a DMG with Sideband for macOS (ARM and Intel) from the [latest release page](https://github.com/markqvist/Sideband/releases/latest). 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.
**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.
To install Sideband on Windows, you have two options available: An easy to install pre-built executable package, or a source package install for more advanced setups.
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.
When Python has been installed, you can open a command prompt and install Sideband via `pip`:
```bash
pip install sbapp
```
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 `lxmfd` on your system.
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.
