Long range (LoRa) mesh networks are interesting alternatives to communication, especially when state actors are blocking internet access for various reasons.
More details about meshtastic: https://meshtastic.org/
About its current state of encryption: https://meshtastic.org/docs/overview/encryption
Dude this is a great response. I’ve spent the last hour trying to piece together how it works and you nailed everything perfectly.
I’m a ham so familiar with radios and have been trying to setup some Wi-Fi links between friends but this seems a little more practical.
Is a few mile range possible with houses etc in the way? We’re all about a mile away from each other, although I may throw an antenna on top of my house (maybe 10m up)
If terrain is mostly flat and your antenna is somehow elevated you should be good. If you have more friends in neighborhood it will help as every radio relays messages in mesh by default. Ideal setup would be to have base station at home (terminal) and a handheld device connected to your mobile phone. So 2 devices per person. This way it’s more reliable. If you have HAM license you can use higher power device like this G1 https://meshtastic.org/docs/hardware/devices/station-g1/ The only thing is that you can’t legally use encryption with higher power transmission. In my experience the reliability of this setup varies. It works when users actively maintain and check Meshtastic app. If you have less technical users or users that just want things to work all the time, it may not be the best solution. I found sometimes radios disconnect from Bluetooth, specially when charging. Radio works but Bluetooth connection isn’t established. If you send message it will be received by radio and ACK’ed but person will not get it until connects to Meshtastic app and reestablish Bluetooth connection. Messages are visible on radio if they have display and are not in relay mode. This means that you don’t know for sure if message was read. For day to day use in normal urban setting I find it little finicky and not reliable enough. You have to carry additional device with you and antenna needs to be in good position. Some radios have built in antennas optimized for on body carry. This is just my experience and it will vary on people and situation. There is Nano explorer radio with dedicated notification bell that could be useful https://meshtastic.org/docs/hardware/devices/Nano Series/
This solution works best if you don’t have cellphone network reception and all users are actively checking status of their radios (charge, messages, connection to app). This fits perfect with recreational outdoor activities in remote areas. Search and rescue is very niche and unless you engage in such activities on regular basis it’s not something you need. It can also serve as a backup solution for emergencies (neighborhood watch/ prepping).
Funny. I have some Disc Lite 5s that I’ve yet to get going due to difficulty of setup. We did have plans of a little Wi-Fi mesh setup to setup a WAN.
This would just be for fun between a few friends and the price point is pretty attractive. Plus the ham in me is a little excited about messing with antennas.