@Edent what's so bad about <div> ... or: Why do you want to avoid them?

[boxly@hachyderm.io]

@Edent meshcore -> better for highly congested city centres. Meshtastic -> better for long range rural

[edent@mastodon.social]

@boxly which one do you use?

[warteschleife@troet.cafe]

@rachel @Edent Unfortunately, they don't understand each other.

[edent@mastodon.social]

@rachel :shrug emoji with confused eyes:

[krahabors@toot.lv]

@Edent Meshcore.
It actually works;
It is actually open, does not belong to branding fanatics.

[dan@mastodon.durrans.com]

@Edent In the UK I went with MeshCore as the network is busier and has more chatter. Mesttastic feels a bit dead (in my area).

I would hesitate to consider it for emergency use. I guess if there is nothing else, but it feels like there are other alternatives (e.g. just using a basic radio for voice) that would be better.

It is fun though.

[edent@mastodon.social]

@krahabors thanks. Any particular device you recommend?

[edent@mastodon.social]

@dan ta! Mind if I ask what kit you're using?

[boxly@hachyderm.io]

@Edent I mainly use meshtastic, I'm out in the countryside so being able to bounce off more repeaters is beneficial. The good thing is though that most hardware will run both, you can refresh via usb webserial in seconds. I'm building a meshtastic hexpansion for EMF this year too hopefully!

[edent@mastodon.social]

@boxly I'd be very interested in chatting at EMF 🙂

[resiliencetheatre@infosec.exchange]

@Edent For me it has been Meshtastic. I am not building city wide infrastructure. I need close proximity communication with self forming. And meshcore is not fully open.

[bekopharm@indieweb.social]

@Edent all work. It depends mostly on what's available in your area. You could e.g. check with https://ttnmapper.org/heatmap/

The rest is IMHO just technicalities - like choosing what Linux distribution to use.

Personally I run some public #LoRa access points registered with https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/

You may also totally run your private system for the sensors in/near your house. @apalrd has a nice video ott: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWF6Qm7JhJU

Many solutions speak multiple stacks nowadays too 🤷

[dan@mastodon.durrans.com]

@Edent In the loft running as a relay:

Heltec V3 from Amazon
Case from Etsy that looks 3D printed
Antenna from ThePiHut (https://thepihut.com/products/lora-antenna-with-pigtail-868mhz-black)
Powered using PoE over ethernet plugged into a PoE to USB-C splitter. No networking over the ethernet, just a way to get power into the loft.

Client device is a T1000-E (https://thepihut.com/products/sensecap-card-tracker-t1000-e-for-meshtastic) connected over bluetooth to my iPhone.

The firmware running on the relay is super stable. The T1000-E firmware is not as stable and I often have to reboot it every 2 or so days.

[freddy@social.security.plumbing]

@Edent my experience from the Berlin mesh. the berlin meshtastic network is overcrowded with badly positioned devices and the routing algorithm essentially passes messages into sinkholes. Reschability snd reliability are bad not despite but because of the many devices. Default forwarding off and limiting it to tower/rooftop locations would probably be better than every device meshing. 1/2

[tuxlife@mastodon.social]

@Edent @dan I use Meshcore in The Netherlands because it’s a much more community and network, I started with two Heltec v3’s that are USB powered and affordable, as most nodes they support both MT and MC. One is a repeater the other a companion, later I added an additional companion that is battery powered and mobile (Sensecap T1000-E). Initially I didn’t get much response on either, so I added a large external antenna.

[freddy@social.security.plumbing]

@Edent But the issue is unfixable because coordination is essentially impossible. People buy cheap, don’t care or don’t update firmwares.

I haven’t tried meshcore, but guess: the fact that meshcore isn’t a default with conscious participants has a higher chance of succeeding. 2/2

[hanscees@ieji.de]

@Edent @krahabors you have devices aimed at running of grid as a repeater. Then you need a low power device. heltec t114 will do, there are many more of course
If you have a device on constant USB power, or battery that should last a day heltecv3 or v4 are fine.

[hanscees@ieji.de]

@freddy @Edent in Netherlands people are switching to meshcore because it's better suited for busy areas: not all devices pass on all information. If you have many devices doing that the mesh, which is radio based, will physically stop working well because of overload.
And also it send further in distance

[edent@mastodon.social]

@resiliencetheatre ha! I've just had someone say go with MeshCore because Meshtastic isn't fully open 😆

[warteschleife@troet.cafe]

@Edent Of course there are technical details that could be considered when chosing between #meshcore and #meshtastic. My opinion is: If you want to communicate or use it for emergency, check what the majority in your area is using.
Even if you chose the best technology, its not much worth if you're the only one 😀