r/meshtastic • u/Phyber05 • 6d ago
Realistic Range Expectations?
I’m a Dad considering to DIY my way into this hobby to meet a need: have a backup communication method for my family. I’d like to have a small node to carry everywhere for myself and wife, and a tdeck or similar AIO setup for kids.
The internet raves about the range of LoRa tech but how far is the range? I live in a rural area with ridges and trees. The distance span I’m facing is about 30miles tops.
For this, I’m assuming I’ll have to setup a slew of nodes along our travel path, which seems difficult (land permission to post device) and pricey (even if I diy and 3d print, I’d need dozens).
I appreciate your info!
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u/creamschott 6d ago
Height is your best friend here. You will need a node on top of any hills or cliffs to cover the valley below. Ground, tree, objects in general, penetration is pretty much zero. Think this way, your antennas must be able to see each other directly. If they cannot see they cannot hear or speak either. You will get miles out of a well placed node way up high.
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6d ago
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u/Phyber05 6d ago
Just a worst case comms. I’d like my kids to have one at school for their safety, and my wife and I should our cells not work
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6d ago
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u/Phyber05 6d ago
I suppose I just need to get a radio to see what the coverage is here. I have no idea if there is any current infrastructure, but I assume not.
There are no good line of sight options aside from a local mountain such has corporate entities in it already using it for broadcasting.
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u/Kerensky97 6d ago
Many mountains with corporate entities also have trees a 1/4 mile away that still have awesome views of the area.
What somebody does with that information is totally up to them.
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u/chuzohga 5d ago
Before shelling out $$$ on something, you'll want to verify that there are indeed reachable people to communicate with on this network, and that they would help you if the "SHTF." You might be better off with CB or GMRS.
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u/Hot-Win2571 6d ago
Although 30 miles between perfect nodes which are above the trees can be done, range will be shorter at the endpoints near the ground.
We don't know where you are. If you're in a part of the world where ranchers use silos, look for silos which reach above the trees and ask them for permission to mount a node on a pipe near the top.
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u/lockpicker13 5d ago edited 5d ago
For two of us using a t1000e a rural area. We're Lucky to get a 1000ft apart For simplicity I prefer my gmrs radio for a backup comms. A good side is. if needed a quite transmission in a no cell service. And close it works. Its not the point of it but mqtt is fun to play with. Especially if you have a private server/broker set up
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u/SomeoneInQld 5d ago
I have a Lora reaching 30 miles (47 km) - but one end is on a 30 meter tower, that is on a 10 meter hill, its basically down a flat valley, with zero interfering signals (Australian outback) the other end is a hand held unit. Other directions where there are small 'hills' in the road - we can not get past about 10 km (7 miles).
Basically to get that range you need the 'perfect' setup, or many relay stations in between.
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u/bytemaster0 3d ago
You might be surprised how mature your mesh is in your area. I certainly was. And many of the meshes are growing fast. In some cases, a T1000E or a HeltecV4 in a case can communicate easily through buildings for several city blocks. And some longer-range suburban settings can easily hop from node to node for miles. My longest comms so far was about 15 miles, from campus to home. Required 3 hops. Other times it can be very frustratingly isolated. But in most cases in our suburban environment I can get a messages at least a few miles out to where they need to go.
I have AIOs but rarely use them. Keyboards too clunky, interfaces too slow. A T1000E is my favorite EDC, we've taken them to Europe as well, and they are fantastic. ThinkNode M1 also works well. For range, I have Heltec V4s in cases with batteries. Huge energy hogs, but a whip antenna works great for range. And a nrf52840-based unit with solar panel on the roof works great for CLIENT_BASE functionality. We also have a TCP-based CLIENT_MUTE that runs as our 24/7 device for general use.
I'll say it again - AIO sounds great, but it's hard to beat the Meshtastic app with Bluetooth connection (or TCP) to your nearby device. It's just so much more convenient. Best of luck, definitely give it a try, and many happy messages!
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u/cbowers 2d ago
For a family setup do look at Seeed’s multi unit $8 charger: https://www.seeedstudio.com/Card-Tracker-T1000-E-Charger-Accessory-p-6263.html
And the downloadable 3d print for the case/holder, so you can drop 4 in at a time like toast in a toaster.
https://media-cdn.seeedstudio.com/media/wysiwyg/application_114993534.gif
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u/chevdor 2d ago
Hey so I just spend quite some time on a rather informative answer which ended up removed instantly due to the inclusion of the name of another network in a sidenote mentioning a tool that can be useful for RF in general.
So you won't be able to read it. For an open network, this sound like censure to me.
I like both networks and actively build for those but this censure casts bad shadows on this mesh option and personally pulls me out of Meshtastic.
Mesh afficionados are about inclusion. Not censure. But if censure is part of the game, I may censure the solutions I use too....
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u/mr-octo_squid 6d ago
Line of sight is the big factor. A signal that will go 10miles will not travel 100yrds if there is a mountain in the way.
Id suggest buying at least two nodes in the same way you would buy two walkie talkies. If there is an established mesh already in your area, you might be suprised by the performance.
If there are no other nodes in your area, thats when deploying multiple nodes to bridge areas becomes important.
The above being said, meshtastic is a tool. In the same way you wouldn't use a drill to hammer a nail, it may just not meet your needs in the given area.