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Meshtastic is neat and I always contemplate building a node for fun. However, I've yet to see many practical uses for it beyond maybe texting while hiking.
If you're at a concert or ball game or something, the local cell network can become overloaded.
I went to a multi-day festival with no cell reception and handed some out to friends and they worked a treat.
It's best use is alternative communications in a disaster, where the mobile network is affected. Or if a dictator decides to shut it off during a protest.
Overall it could work well as a communications means for activists in street protests since these often overload networks by sheer volume of users concentrated in one spot.
Seems like this could be very useful if in a country with poor communication systems or a wartorn area. Also worth saving (print it out perhaps) if in the US and Trump becomes king.
Well I had many blogs about how to add sensors etc. Mostly I personally use it as walkie talkie but also I have seen people use it as a tracker for pets, and motion sensors at home maybe. I use it for temp sensor in each room in a handheld and I will take out for hikes etc.
I don't think I understand its purpose. It's a shared wireless communication network for text messages only? So, like, sms-only that is completely independent of the main grid?
Pretty much, yes. It does have some tiny file share capability IIRC (don’t trust me on this) but it’s pretty much just an off grid text based communication platform you connect to with your phone and Bluetooth. Can be extremely long range depending on terrain (line of sight is important)
Can it be used to set up a grid with other people? Kind of like creating put own off-grid grid?
Isn't that the definition of off-grid?
The routing is simple. Every node repeats everything it hears. A message goes out with a counter - defaults at 3, maximum 7. Every time it's repeated the counter is decremented. At 0 it won't be repeated any more.
You can DM nodes you've seen. You can create your own encrypted channels with a pre-shared key. You can link meshes over the internet through MQTT if you have an internet connected node on each mesh.
Isn’t that the definition of off-grid?
Yeah, but not only. For example, I can build a private wifi network, and have my friends join their phones to it. Some bloke across the yard can open his own network, but the two networks will not communicate with each other. The two networks are off-grid, but are independent of each other.
This meshtastic thing sounds awesome! Crowd sourced off-grid network.
For a beginner:
- Buy something like this all in one system: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BL7B47DR?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
- Flash meshtastic on it
- Download the app (or connect it directly to the computer) and your done!
Its pretty easy to get into. Just letting you know, its mostly just a pager. A self hosted pager, but a pager none-the-less.
How do you find people to talk to?
Honestly a bit of war-driving, they pick up the others and auto-populate the info. You can also go here: https://meshmap.net/ and look for your area.
We also have a local meetup for meshtastic that meets periodically. Its been fun.
So you just get a list of who's in range?
A list and a map to those who enable gps.
Dont buy those kits. They are pretty overpriced and come with a shitty antenna and no battery
In my local area, we were able to get a mile or so with line of sight. And the price (less than 50 for 2) without soldering is a pretty good deal for a beginner. It also comes with a case.
You can also get the https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTXL61LY?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details or add in a battery later on. Its meant to be a beginners kit because you an check to see if it works easily and its upgrade-able in almost all parts. We have close to 20 members in our local group (its a whole lot of fun) and almost everyone starts with one of these.
What do you recommend for beginners?
Oops, didnt realise that price is for 2. Pretty good deal in that case
Its all good.
Its more for testing it out to make sure it works. But yeah I have an outdoor one and an indoor one. So I can message and receive pretty easy plus help the local network.
The LilyGo T-Echo is probably the only device you need.
- small
- far more power efficient processor, as compared to ESP32 devices.
- battery included
- e-paper display
- injection molded case included and fully assembled
- no flashing necessary
- compact
- inexpensive
It's pretty much the only one that comes ready to go out of the box.
inexpensive? Really
...yes?
idk about that, a heltec is 15-20$ while t-echo is 55-65$.
It also doesn't include any of the things you need to make it actually work...
It does actually, You can see the parts list at the top of the blog.
The total from the parts list is $28.24. That's without taxes or shipping. There's also items on the list missing pricing entirely. That also doesn't include the cost of selling your identity to the CCP, considering last time I tried to place an order on Ali, they wouldn't send it without government ID.
It also doesn't include a battery, which you're going to need an excessively-sized one, considering how relatively-inefficient ESP is.
It doesn't include your time assembling all this stuff either.
It doesn't even include a case for your janky setup.
from the part list, you only need Lora and esp. that can get you up and running as for assembly it takes only 10 mins max. But again there is a market for ready products and market for DIY. I had some esp32 with Lora from other projects and used it, you might not have it. But the heltec is also a good cheap starting point. As for the ID well, actually most of the time your government asks for ID number to tax you if needed. But you are free to order from Amazon as well. You can find amazon links on the website if you wish, I won't be sharing them here not to make anyone angry
54$ while an esp32 is like 5 bucks
LOL you need more than an ESP32
The rest is less than 15$ but you do have to order it off AliExpress. It's more time as well so if you take it into account, I guess it comes out similar.
I would add that anybody with the know-how to build this probably already has an esp32 on hand so really only the cost of the other components should be calculated. But that cuts both ways since your example is a lot more beginner friendly and comes in a neat package.
The rest of what? You gonna make your own PCB? LORA radio? Battery? Display? Buttons? Antenna?
There's a parts list to the project, it uses modules mostly it seems.
That being said, a PCB isn't very costly when ordered from China. All the parts you mentioned aren't expensive if it's to go on a PCB, a lora chip is like 3 bucks for a good one if I remember well. A lot more skill involved though and not really what I meant in any case.
this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2024
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