Whether or not you've heard of Meshtastic, you've probably been near a node in your daily life. There are small meshtastic nodes running all around the world, and in many cases covering cities and metro areas with small repeating radios, exchanging information, messages, or anything else people may want to send. In this post we explore what meshtastic is, and how you might be able to use it.
What is Meshtastic?
Meshtastic began as a grassroots, community-driven project aimed at creating a versatile and affordable way for people to communicate in areas lacking traditional networks. The original concept emerged from the ham radio and outdoor adventure communities, where reliable, decentralized communication is a necessity. Developers and enthusiasts, recognizing the potential of open-source technology to bridge connectivity gaps, came together to build a solution.
By utilizing LoRa (Long Range) radio technology, which offers extensive range at low power, the project evolved into a mesh network system where users could relay messages over several kilometers. This capability quickly appealed to a wide range of users, from hikers and bikers to emergency response teams, as it provided a practical way to stay connected even in remote locations.
This decentralized mesh network distinguishes Meshtastic from many other radio solutions. Unlike traditional point-to-point communication, LoRa devices in the Meshtastic ecosystem act as both transmitters and relays, extending the effective range of communication. Messages can hop between multiple devices, allowing users to reach contacts located several kilometers away, even in rugged terrain or dense urban environments where direct signals might be obstructed.
Critical Parts of Meshtastic
Although Meshtastic has "baked in" complexity and advanced features, you don't need much to get it going. In fact, using inexpensive devices purchased online, you can be talking and sharing data across a local network in minutes.
To get started, the two critical parts are a small Meshtastic Radio Device, and the Meshtastic app running on standard iOS and Android devices. With this foundation, you can get spun up and ready to go.
An interesting part of this is that there is no manufacturer binding or requirements, so a device from one manufacturer is generally compatible and exchanges data with others. As different devices bring different capabilities, it makes for a robust solution. There are devices with GPS tracking, keyboards and screens, and even wifi connections on the device itself.
Meshtastic at a Distance
A unique facet of Meshtasitc is the ability to bind mesh networks together via the Internet, when available, via MQTT as a messaging transport. This takes a local mesh network and spreads it across an entire region, or across the globe, depending on your network exchange configuration. Although the core Meshtastic MQTT server does not route data for a single global overlay, you can use a private MQTT server and exchange information, chat, and data across any of your connected devices.
Our Experiments
We've taken Meshtastic nodes around the United States, from Georgia to Alaska, from San Diego to New England, and many places in between. Having taken nodes thousands of miles, it's been interesting to see small vibrant communities operating without any external coordination. In many places we've seen people establish repeater nodes at higher locations,and this in turn relaying messages and reports from nodes miles away.
During this travel, we've seen hundreds of nodes pop up, giving a unique welcome to a far distant community. Sending a greetings out into the mesh, and getting a welcome from an unknown Meshtastic user, is a unique experience.
The ability to travel to a new location and simply start engaging with local individuals is powerful, being able to see data being reported, or even exchange a quick greeting as we pass through town. The Meshtastic mobile app makes it easy to configure, track, and chat using the devices, and makes it easy to see what is within range. In the picture below, you can see many different nodes reachable using just a small device positioned inside a building, without any special antenna.
Looking at the picture, forget wifi and bluetooth ranges, imagine that there are nodes more than 30 miles away that we are receiving data from, all without any fixed infrastructure, cell plan, or other transport.
One note in the picture, radio waves know no bounds, and Meshtastic radios are much the same. In the node picture you can see nodes in both the US and Mexico as part of this mesh, exchanging data or just having a quick conversation.
What's next?
Meshtastic continues to grow and evolve, with rapid software releases and new capabilities being added at an amazing rate. This foundation, is being tested in new ways every day. We work with Meshtastic and interconnections such as MQTT to share data in remote or austere environments in a reliable and secure manner. With the variety of devices available, we will continue to expand our mesh deployments and try new features as the system continues to develop.