I am so sorry for the late response, s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DF5Ry0RFirst, this is an affiliate link, Second I have not tested it, I will actually order it and test it with NRF52, it is worth it now. I will try to find a better board with Ipex support test it and link it on my website
I mean you kinda of looking at from the wrong way, In the company I work for, it was a time saver. A department of engineers in embedded systems can upload some measurements then another department can quicky run some questions to write the findings for a customer. They both don’t know anything about SQL and ti is even faster than the tool we built for them. Since they have to filter through 1TB of data. Yes it needs a lot of optimization to get it perfect.
That’s about 4500 software packages I have installed on one Linux system, to say nothing of other computing devices I’ve used or the other packaging systems in use on this system alone. I have probably looked at any portion of…I don’t know, maybe 20 of those? And that’s to work on a small portion of any one’s codebase, certainly not to audit the software package.
Nobody using any kind of a remotely normal and modern computing environment, even if they are a software developer and know at least one programming language used by some of the software on their system and if they have the relevant domain knowledge to assess security concerns, has the realistic ability to conduct a review of the code that runs on their system, even in environments, like Linux, where the code is available.
It’s like asking a mechanical engineer to validate the design correctness of every mechanical device they’ve ever used prior to using it.
Open-source hardware and software that allows for Long Range (LoRa) radio communication via text message (and emoji). They can also create a mesh network (hence the name) to extend range and rout encrypted messages through the network.
Useful in the case of cell-network failure (emergency situations, power loss,etc), overloaded bandwidth or simply lack thereof. Or just completely secure communication.
I don’t get why having your own radio mesh when you can use existing ones with encrypted connections and not spend in hardware or having to carry stuff with you like in the 90s cellphones.
The range test article above shows the current record for a successful ping/chirp to another node (Point to Point, no additional hops). It’s at 254km currently :)
So the frequencies matter a bit. I run on 433mhz but I bet lora is good enough even at the US 915. So yeah it can even go further. Meshtastic 254KM was done on US 915. meshtastic.org/docs/overview/range-tests/
This is one of the coolest things in tech and maybe the most important too. Relying on centralised infrastructure really puts you at the mercy of whoever owns and runs it, as well as their enemies. Look at the internet getting shut down in various places at various times and big institutions like healthcare grinding to a halt.
When I have more time I’m definitely going to try using this stuff.
I think this is really cool.
But… What it is: low bandwidth literal physical replacement of internet infrastructure. Often seen as a very extreme manuver.
Meanwhile: there are various overlay projects like i2p which, unfortunately, create new internets which [almost totally] reliance on the old internet. But they do cooler shit.
I can’t tell you how right you are. I used it in power outages" Sometimes cell signal goes down " where you look at your phone and realize ok well I have no backup plan.
This is not a replacement for the Internet. It’s currently basically just a low bandwidth local chat app. You could maybe run more complicated protocols on top of it, but it’s not going to replace what we’re doing right here right now.
It’s a great experiment on LoRa though. It could lead to more complex networking. I’m trying to figure out what to do with it right now.
I have a couple of nodes we take on our hiking trips for emergencies or when we split up and it works pretty well. It has a surprisingly good range with the right antennas.
I also tried it when I was skiing in the winter. It was cool. I have GPS on my nodes. and I can tell where my friend is, tried also the telemetry sensor to tell the ALT but since it only tells the pressure it is not intuitive. You can probably tell if the person is up or down
What exactly could I use this for? I know how LoRaWAN works, but it requires entrypoints into the internet. Does Meshtastic need these? Do I have to set up two nodes to use it for anything? Does it use existing LoRaWAN infrastructure?
You wouldn’t need internet access for these to work, although there is a public community WAN server you could join to operate under MQTT (which is their internet facing WAN function). They function off of LoRa RF on the 915mhz band in the U.S. (and other bands elsewhere) to do the bulk of the communication. BLE is also utilized for management.
These do need more than 1 node to operate properly, but since it works off the concept of a public mesh (with options to privatize), you don’t need two of your own devices in a developed location.
However, if no one is around or within line of sight… then you’ll have to work a little harder to get contacts/connections going.
For now, yes. There are certain extensions and 3rd party plugins that are seeking to expand on that by adding BBS capability or JS8call (for expanded text & basic audio).
There’s limited bandwidth to work with on just the 915mhz band but you’d be surprised what you can push downstream.
I find it rather useless if it only supports text messaging. Why not use cb radio or whatever at that point? That seems more useful in a disaster situation.
Very low cost of entry ($30-40), mesh capability for redundancy, and its on fairly accessible public bands although it occupies a specific part of it. Also it comes with end to end encryption.
It’s just a far more cost effective solution compared to having a CB radio, where you’d need to be licensed to have certain features or to communicate on VHF/UHF etc. You also wouldn’t need to learn any sort of HAM based etiquette to operate these devices.
Although if you need the extra capability, like voice comms, and want the flexibility that comes with HAM you can also incorporate these into that system.
Ahh fair enough. I can see where you’re coming from.
I find the added redundancy to be a beneficial addition in my scenario, particularly for emergency situations where cell service is out (due to overuse/congestion).
These don’t need multiple points of redundancy to work but it does add peace of mind imo. Decentralization is a core principle of Meshtastic so that’s also another strong point that pushed me towards the protocol.
But I can respect not everyone has the same requirements or interests :)
Meshtastic has the mesh capabilities that others have mentioned but what’s more immediately important is the ability to direct message others (no need to send private messages to everyone in range) and the ability to share GPS coordinates which is absolutely helpful in an emergency.
Its a totally separate thing from LoRaWAN. Its useful for messaging across town (if you live in an area with enough nodes), and it can do things like report on temperature an humidity or when a sensor is tipped, some devices support GPS too.
Yeah, I personally have a handful of nodes scattered around my local area.
They’re mostly situated with family, so it’s become a sort of adhoc emergency comms network if a hurricane or other natural disaster causes issues for me locally.
To use Meshtastic you only need 1 device to talk to the others. If you want to talk with a friend each one need to have a device. Other than that you don’t need anything. Get a device flash it then you are good to go
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