LoRa/IoT/Meshtastic comms & messaging

[WH16]

Has anyone used any of this stuff? I have only recently become aware of it but it seems an interesting concept, if a little limited in use. I live in an area of very limited mobile reception, so it could be useful, but it looks like I would need to set up a number of nodes to make it actually of any value. It appears to me like it is more suitable to higher population densities where there are already enough nodes setup to tap into. Is it actually useful or solving a problem that doesn't really exist? Is it a bit tin-foil prepper-y?

[.:ian:.]

You can see nearby nodes using something like https://meshmap.net/
For me at least, I dont believe I could connect to any others!
Might be useful if you have a specific need to send small amounts of data a long distance and you can put a node in each place.

[nyt]

I built two system a few years back:

- an ESP32 based system that monitored soil humidity/temp etc and sent to my server. Worked well, but the ESP ate batteries, keeping the elements out was hard (condensation). It eventually became more trouble than it was worth.

- Another ESP32 hooked to a Lora module and a GPS module to report my car's location. Worked well, but a few Apple Airtags hidden in the car is much easier.

It's good tech and fun to play with.

This guy did some good videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu7_D0o48KbfhpEoh...