Meshtastic continued -
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In my previous post I briefly described Meshtastic LoRa RF networking and some of the hardware involved.
Now that I've had my outdoor node online for a month, I know a little more about what is going on around me.
The neighbor with a weather station updating every minute is a constant and I've had no other contact with them and there is no location given.
Occasionally, an active station will pass through on the highway and show up on the open channel (Channel 0) stations list.?
More "exciting" is when an active node in an airplane comes in range. Then the channel 0 station list will show several Meshtastic stations from all over.
This happens when the station in the air hears the stations below and dutifully re-transmits their payload.
You can set your location in the configuration, and if you choose, broadcast it. Then the receiving stations will also plot your location on a map.
Some mesh devices have a GPS built in and (if enabled) can be tracked.?
However, I've yet to have a LoRa text qso with any of them because I wasn't active when they were going by. Kind of typical for radio :)
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MQTT
Connecting mesh users out of LoRa (radio) range via the Internet.
Mashtastic has a built in Internet connection option called proxy that can use the phone or tablet's Internet to send and receive Meshtastic messages.
Each channel (0-7) has the option to use mqtt, but channel 0 is open key, common to everyone and will swamp your connection - avoid it!
Purists will complain mqtt defeats the purpose of mesh networks. Proponents will tell you how it pulls users together in sparsely populated places.
Kind of like WiresX and repeaters?
Using mqtt is up to the user and can be turned off at any time.
W0AYE and myself (N0QBH) have sent messages back and forth on the W0SW channel (Ben's creation) using the mqtt feature.
Along with it's unique name, it also has a 32 bit key which is shared among the users (by invite). No key, no decode.
I will take this opportunity to point out this isn't Ham radio per say.?
However, there is an option to use Meshtastic under your Ham licence with more power and no encryption.
In closing, I believe mesh networking like this could be a Godsend in a long term power outage when most cell sites go dead and your phone has no service.
At that point in time most phones are a fancy paperweight.?
Mesh users will still be communicating with theirs.
In the meantime, it's just nerdy fun on the leading edge.
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N0QBH Mike Berg