Just blogged about the cheapest new #Meshtastic device I've been playing with. For £9.60 the XIAO ESP32S3 Wio-SX1262 is really straightforward and easy to get up and running. #opensource #lora https://concretedog.blogspot.com/2025/03/super-affordable-960-meshtastic-xiao.html
@concretedog I've been seeing meshtastic devices pop up on YouTube but what exactly are they? Some kind of local Wi-Fi?
@Castle6022 They are a totally off grid (no cell no wifi ) communication network capable of sending public or encrypted messages (text) but also can send sensor data and or gps etc. Really useful for lots of applications and quite affordable. They attract either sciencey/sensor/data/radio people, our outdoorsy or sometimes prepper type people.
@concretedog @Castle6022 keep in mind the encryption meshtastic uses is a bit weak, and the overall security paradigm leaves much to be desired.
That aside, it's very useful. My best friend was in Ashville NC during Helene, 2+ weeks without cell service. We were able to chat via MQTT, because someone in his area had a meshtastic node hooked up to satellite, that's our theory anyway.
Also #reticulum uses some of the same hardware and even allows encrypted voice chat over LORA, cool stuff.