Testing a MeshCore repeater at home
I have set up a MeshCore repeater at home as a test – a small, low-power radio that helps text messages travel across a community network without mobile coverage or internet.
I have set up a MeshCore repeater at home as a test.
What is MeshCore?
MeshCore is an off-grid messaging network built from small, inexpensive radios. You pair a pocket-sized radio with your phone and can send text messages to other users – without mobile coverage, without internet and without any cloud service. Messages are passed on from radio to radio, so the network reaches far beyond what a single device could.
The backbone of the network is repeaters: fixed radios, often placed high up, that forward messages for everyone nearby. Handheld radios do not forward traffic themselves, so every new repeater makes the network stronger and reach further. Along the Oslofjord, messages can already travel all the way to other countries in a handful of hops.
My repeater
My repeater is a small, low-power unit that runs around the clock and fills in the network in my area. I used the same hardware as Jon Erik, and the setup is a collaboration with him – his post MeshCore i Sør-Norge (in Norwegian) is a great introduction to MeshCore in southern Norway.
So far it is a test: I want to see how far it reaches and how much traffic it carries before deciding on a permanent spot.