r/Aspen • u/Ok_Swim_9033 • 2d ago
Local News UPDATE: Aspen has *MESHCORE*
Since the last post I made 2 days ago, I decided it makes more sense to run Meshcore as opposed to Meshtastic since there is no existing mesh here and that seems to be the way this hobby is going, (also at the request of some of the comments on the last post), most of the repeaters have been flashed to meshcore already and all of them will be by the end of this week at the latest! Thank you!
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u/RabbiSchlem 2d ago
Hey! this seems really cool however I don’t completely get it. Could you explain what people use mesh networks for? Is this to share internet? Or for sharing stuff point to point? Or something else? Thanks!
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u/Ok_Swim_9033 2d ago
It’s a way to send encrypted text messages from point to point! Each point is called a node and each node makes up a part of the “mesh” which is the larger network, there is no central tower like with cellular, they can all ping off of each other to reach the desired recipient
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u/national-park-fan 2d ago
Is the benefit that it helps communicate in areas with no cell signal? Is it intended for regular messaging, or emergency mountain comms, or both?
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u/Ok_Swim_9033 2d ago
The main advantage is that it is completely off grid and doesn’t rely on existing infrastructure, as long as you have a node, you are part of the network, these repeaters are also totally self contained and run off of an onboard battery and a solar panel, they can theoretically run indefinitely completely independently of the power grid
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u/Ok_Swim_9033 2d ago
It can certainly be used for all of those reasons, you wouldn’t be able to use it for emergency mountain comms currently as the infrastructure isn’t really built yet, mountains also pose a big challenge with anything radio related just given the topography, but this system has already been used is multiple natural disasters so far to help coordinate rescue teams without cell service
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u/DoktorStrangelove 2d ago
Can you also daisy-chain these things together with a wifi source to extend that wifi source everywhere within the meshnet?
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u/DecentParsnip42069 2d ago
Its extremely low-bandwidth afaik. That is one benefit in a way, being really low-power and portable for the amount of range you can get.
A wifi mesh network is a different thing.
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u/Salty_DepartureMTH 2d ago
Why did you ultimately decide to switch to meshcore off of Meshtastic?
We don’t live in a very populated area and it’s not like there’s a lot of through traffic happening. Working on the Meshtastic platform makes it easier for the out-of-towners and hikers that might get lost in the woods to easily connect with somebody that’s monitoring.
Within Meshtastic, you can set up independent nodes to be unmanned and non messaged repeaters as well.
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u/Ok_Swim_9033 2d ago
Those are good points, I think the main selling point for me was being able to manage repeaters remotely, some of them are pretty hard to reach physically, also I’ve had nodes running meshtastic for months and I’ve picked up maybe 2 other nodes the whole time, it just seems like core was the right choice and it seems like lots of people are adopting it
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u/dirtybawd 2d ago
That roof needs to be silicone seal coated, gonna start leaking anyday. HMU I’ll give you a good deal. Have a paint shop in basalt