If you’re even only slightly interested in tech related topics and not living under a rock, you literally couldn’t avoid stumbling upon LoRa communication in last few months. With the two most prominent proponents in this field being the Meshtastic™ respectively MeshCore™ project, I finally decided to jump on the train and see if I can weasel my way into it.
For people that haven’t heard about them: Both systems are decentralized, self-organizing sort of HAM-Radio systems except they’re more “Walkie-Textie” instead of “Walkie-Talkie”. Providing off-grid and self-reliant communication they’re independent from the internet, cellphone-networks and to a certain degree also from the powergrid. For more information see the links below.
While the two systems share a lot of similarities, here in the region where I live Meshtastic is almost non-existent whereas MeshCore has a recognizable and pretty active user base, so this article focuses on the latter.
The communication network (mainly) consists of so-called “Nodes” or “Companions”, i.e. the end-user-device and so-called “Repeaters” that act as relay stations and thus allow for considerable operating distances. Both types can be built fairly easily and for a tolerably small buck, providing you have some very basic knowledge in electronics. Plus, of course, there are loads of tutorials and explanations to be found on the internet.
My Stuff:
Both my repeater and my companion are based on the Heltec v4 WiFi LoRa 32 module. They’re easy to configure, have a convenient form factor and are readily available for a reasonable price.
I run my companion device via USB-power instead of an own battery because I don’t carry it around with me. It’s got a 3D-printed enclosure (see below).
The repeater is made from just plain hardware store supplies. There are many options to run it solar-powered and thus truly off-grid which I plan to do in the future, but for now it’s USB-powered too.
Link Section:
LoRa Radio
Meshtastic | Wikipedia (what everything began with)
MeshCore (the successor, if you so will)
Meshcore Wiki
Meshcore Internet Map
MeshCore Packet Analyzer
Hansemesh (a Hamburg and region MeshCore users association)
Heltec v4 WiFi LoRa 32
Antenna (please consider: Antennas are field of utter voodoo and a heavy load of in-depth knowledge. Try to at least learn the basics before buying, so you can find one that’s suitable for your needs.)
3D-Print File for Heltec V3/v4 enclosure
