Archive | Meshtastic

Learn Together: Meshtastic Part 4 – Seeed Studio SenseCAP T1000-E

By Matt on January 4, 2025 in Meshtastic, Reviews

I have spent a fair amount of time and money trying to get into Meshtastic in my area. If you have been following along, you’ll know I basically have three goals:

Communicate reliably within a few miles of my home.
Set up a private, local mesh within a few miles of my home.
Communicate as far as 40-60 miles away in my region.

You’ll also know that goals 1 and 2 are relatively easy and will work with almost any of the Meshtastic devices that are easily available… especially if you follow the N+1 Principle.

But all things being equal, it would be nice if the devices you used to give Meshtastic a try were VERY inexpensive. It would be even nicer if they didn’t require the added cost of an external antenna because they came with a well-tuned internal antenna. It would be nicer still if the devices were as easy as possible to carry and if they would stand up to the elements. Finally, wouldn’t it be nice if the devices you tried first were so useful that they would continue to be useful even if you moved on to more expensive Meshtastic nodes? Well, that is essentially what the SenseCAP T1000-E brings to the table.

I am not going to spend a lot of time talking about the experience of using these radios because it is basically the same as any other device that uses your phone as a front end. It’s easy and the UI has more to do with the app than the hardware. Instead, I am going to reiterate the value proposition of the T1000-E.

First, these radios are about the size of 4 credit cards stacked which is bananas. They basically can’t be easier to carry. They cost less than $45 from most places. They are almost completely sealed against the ingress of dirt and water. The battery life is about 2 days (depending on settings) and their internal antenna gives up basically nothing to larger external antenna for this application. I also appreciate that they have a sturdy lanyard point molded into the shell.

If all you want to do is may your own very private, very secure, and very mobile mesh network that is easy to keep running if without grid power, a small stack of these will get your there. I find that incredible.

I also want to mention that given their price, sensitivity, and usefulness should you decide to pursue the hobby, this is the PERFECT Meshtastic node to buy to start seeing if there are other users in your area (remember, the online maps won’t tell you the whole story).

I purchased my Seeed Studio Sensecap T1000-Es on Amazon instead of having them shipped from China but they are cheaper directly from Seeed Studio. DO NOT pay more than $45 for one. They will come back in stock if they are not currently.

T1000-E on Amazon.com

Learn Together: Meshtastic Part 3 – Is Meshtastic Even Worth Considering?

By Matt on December 13, 2024 in Meshtastic

I wasn’t planning on writing this article as Part 3 in our Meshtastic series, but a handful of questions came across my desk recently that I thought were insightful enough to wrestle with. These questions made me think a bit more about why I am interested in Meshtastic as a preparedness communication option for myself and why I think it is worth considering as at least part of any communications plan.

Many of the questions boiled down to something like, “Why would I consider this when ham or FRS or GRMS or whatever other radio technology exists?” That’s fair and rather than answer directly, I’ll just share the strengths of Meshtastic that have driven me to experiment with it:

The devices that drive Meshtastic have very low power requirements and are easy to keep powered even when grid power is not an option. This is not necessarily true of all radio technologies.
Meshtastic has fewer barriers to entry than many other radio options. The devices that populate the mesh tend to be affordable, costing as little as $40ish. It is also license-free which is a big deal for some users.
Meshtastic offers native encryption. It is relatively private out-of-box and can be made even more private with some settings changes. There will be more on this later.
Meshtastic feels, to me, a little more consumer-ready. Everyone sends text messages so, in my experience, family members easily pick it up.

Another concern that was raised is that Meshtastic requires the use of a secondary device like a cellphone. I think this concern has to do with two potential misunderstandings that the cell network is required or that the cellphone itself is always required as a front end.

The cell phone, when paired with a node, acts as the front end or user interface (UI) to make text entry and receiving easier. Meshtastic is not leveraging the cellular network to send texts unless the user gets into more advanced MQTT functionality. I think most people try to keep their cell phone powered in an emergency so this doesn’t seem like too onerous of a requirement if you choose a device that is not stand-alone.

That said, a cell phone isn’t even truly required as there are Meshtastic nodes that are stand-alone, allowing users to send and receive messages directly on the node. The options for stand-alone nodes and their UI are growing and I see this as a direction the market needs to go to see larger adoption of Meshtastic.

Finally, I had one person say they disregarded Meshtastic because the node maps that are available online do not show any nodes in their area. My answer to that would be two-fold.

First, it is important to understand that those maps only show nodes that report their location in a very specific way that the VAST majority of users do not do. The maps show only 1 node within 100 miles of my area and yet I have been able to ping more than 80 nodes. So, do not let the online node maps dissuade you from giving this a try as they do not represent the actual state of the mesh on the ground.

Second, your plan for Meshtastic may not need to include the larger mesh. This technology is very well suited to smaller, local groups – think small groups like neighbors, hunting parties, or similar. In fact, I think this is one of the best use cases for Meshtastic and it can be extremely practical and affordable to do with devices like the SenseCap T1000-E which I am currently working with for review so stay tuned.

I actually think the Sensecap T1000-E is an ideal place to start for most people. You can pick one up on Amazon cheaply. The antenna is well tuned and it will provide similar range to nodes with detachable antennas. If you decide to go all in, you won’t regret having it. Again, we will dive more deeply into this device later but for a node that just lets you see who is on the mesh in your area, it is hard to beat.

I appreciate your feedback and I suspect there may be more posts like this as I drag you all along while I learn Meshtastic.

Learn Together: Meshtastic (Part 2) – N+1 Theory of Meshtastic

By Matt on November 20, 2024 in EDC, Meshtastic, Outdoor Gear, Preparedness, Survival

When it comes to doing just about anything, there is the right way and there is the janky way that still works. My Meshtastic N+1 Theory could be either one depending on the context.

What I mean is, this simple idea would work for setting up permanent coverage around your home but it wouldn’t necessarily be the right way if done the jankiest way possible. However, if you are setting up an ad-hoc mesh on the side of a mountain, this might be pretty close to the right way.

Alright, I know I have some explaining to do and I’ll start by saying that if you don’t know what Meshtastic is, check out Part 1 of this series. Now, onto the N+1 Theory…

What is the N+1 Theory?

The N+1 Theory is a simple, practical framework for smoothing out some hiccups with Meshtastic. Here’s how it works:

N represents the number of people in your group who need to communicate.
You add 1 extra device—the “+1” node—to improve mesh performance and reliability.

For instance:

If it is just you, N would be 1 and you would need N (1) + 1 = 2 devices.
For a team of 7, you’d need N (7) + 1 = 8 devices.

The “+1” node isn’t just a spare; it’s a strategic addition. By placing this device in a location that optimizes coverage—such as on a hill, at a central point, or in an area with poor connectivity—it strengthens the entire mesh. This ensures that everyone in the group remains connected, even in challenging environments.

*This node is just attached to the end of an extendable paint roller pole and lashed to a fence post. Don’t judge me. It works.*

Why Refer to This as Janky?

The beauty of this idea is that it can be done in a pretty quick and dirty way. It could be as simple as pulling a node up into a tree on a rope, running a node up an extendable painter’s pole, or even using a magnet to slap it on the side of a metal building… all of which I do on the regular. They all work.

Of course, for a more permanent situation, you may want to install a powered unit outdoors like which I have also done. That unit then serves as your +1 node – your first “hop” into the mesh.

This works because Meshtastic is a mesh network where every node functions as a repeater. The messages are intelligently routed across the mesh and therefore as long as any one node can hit another, there is a great chance that the messages will end up where you want them. So, by ensuring that at least one node is strategically placed, you help the entire mesh.

Meshtastic even expressly supports this kind of scenario with their “Client” and “Client_Mute” roles. I highly recommend you read up on roles when you are setting up your nodes.

*The magnet and lanyard I added to this **Lilygo T-Echo** make it especially useful as a +1 node.*

Wrap Up

I know this isn’t especially ground-breaking or even that smart. It’s just something I had to learn by trial and error. So… I gave it a name and now I’ll be rich and famous for it… probably.

I will note that I am working with a new type of node, credit card sized radios from Seeed Studio called the SenseCap T1000-E that makes this concept especially convenient and easy to do the janky way. Stay tuned for more info on those devices.

Whether you are doing it the janky way or the right way, I highly recommend having that +1 node in a strategic location to improve your Meshtastic experience.

*It’s easy to get down with one of these.*

Learn Together: Meshtastic (Part 1)

By Matt on October 28, 2024 in Meshtastic, Outdoor Gear, Preparedness, Reviews, Survival

I was drawn into Meshtastic by the promise of license-free, relatively easy-to-use, off-grid, off-network text communication on affordable hardware. There is very little barrier to entry and the potential upside is immense so I thought it was worth a try. I am going to drag you along with me, an absolute radio simpleton, as I learn so you can decide if it is worth a try for yourself.

Be advised: If you actually know something about radios or Meshtastic, you are going to be very frustrated with my layman’s misunderstanding and oversimplification. You have been warned!

Before we go too much further, we should establish what Meshtatic even is. Well, you can read about it here from its creators on Meshtastic.com. Basically, it is a radio mesh network made up of mostly inexpensive radios that allow the user to send small amounts of data across the mesh either corporately or privately. The mesh network does not require the use of any network or data connection other than the radios themselves. Meshtastic utilizes the license-free 915mhz band in the USA. Additionally, many of the radios used have very low power requirements making them easy to keep running even when electrical power is scarce.

My Goals for Meshtastic

This is just an introduction to my time with Meshtastic given that I am still firmly in the don’t-know-what-I-don’t-know phase of my journey. However, I have set three basic goals for what I would like to try to accomplish:

Communicate reliably within a few miles of my home.
Set up a private, local mesh within a few miles of my home.
Communicate as far as 40-60 miles away in my region.

The Gear I Have Used So Far

If you want to follow along, I can already suggest a specific radio which I will probably do a more thorough review of later. The Lilygo T-Echo is one of the more affordable ready-to-use options that has a more energy-efficient chipset than many others in this price range. I bought mine on Amazon along with an improved antenna (the stock antenna is compact but doesn’t do the radio any favors):

Where I Am and What to Look Forward To

I have already accomplished goal 1 using just the gear listed above. I will have a post about that eventually as it is quite easy and there are some simple tips and dirt-bag hacks that will make a local mesh even more reliable.

My initial testing has been promising so far with contacts being made over tens of miles and detecting nodes as far as 70 miles (over multiple hops). It has been encouraging enough that I am already researching an outdoor solar node to install on my property to further improve my chances at meeting my goals.

There will be reviews of radios, tips and tricks, and practical information shared all along the way so stay tuned.