this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2026
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Privacy
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I mean, it’s always been this way on the internet. Somewhere in the mid to late 90’s, a language and communication program (http and web browsers) became very popular and synonymous with “the internet.” But us old farts remember when Usenet, gopher, ftp, fsp, irc, etc. were all used daily. As the World Wide Web enshittifies, people will either stay or move elsewhere, just like they always did.
The real question in my mind is more akin to the movement between physical networks - such as when we moved away from bbs, to college proprietary connections, and ultimately to the internet. I often wonder why - with all of the portable WiFi radios we all own - why hasn’t anyone created an encrypted protocol and software where we all join our personal hardware into one big giant mesh network? I don’t even live in a city in an apartment and I can pick up 4 neighbor’s WiFi signals, never mind all the cell phones and whatnot passing by my house. You’d think we could have an encrypted and robust way of sending packets to each other by now over our personal private hardware (albeit slow and probably prone to buffering as nodes move in and out of connection range).
Oftentimes I think that’s the next frontier.
except that laws about social media usually target any online service regardless of technology
Take a look at MeshCore and LoRa. Also Reticulum
Reticulum is awesome, I just wish it was more widely available. The way it can use any configured transport medium to do directed mesh network is really good. My only complaint is that anything involving group messages just kinda sucks and I haven’t figured out how to do it better.
I’m working on several RNS projects currently, one of which will hopefully be a fault tolerant emergency dispatch system (think GoodSam cross ATAK) with panic alarms. If that comes to fruition, it’ll automatically give a familiar usual experience with totally off grid fallback.
What's wrong with me if all I read was "rectum".
Rectum? I hardly knew ‘um.
You've been on the internet too long, as have we all.
it means that we think alike and should be friends. lol
Mellon🧙♂️
Meshtastic instead meshcore. The former is pure mesh the latter needs repeaters.
Which prebuilt Meshtastic hardware gives most bang for the buck?
First, great username, absolutely love it. Second, from what I understand the two share way more than not and are both functional, just with slightly different use cases. Two cool projects, two slightly different views, but not mutually exclusive.
...which has its own advantages
It doesn't absolutely require repeaters. There is an off-grid mode.
Plus, repeaters in meshcore are more like client base in meshtastic. You're meant to put them up at your house. Is it good to put them on tall towers and mountains? Absolutely. But if you can't do that, then you can put it at your house at, say, 30 feet, and it's just fine. Because even with the 3-byte IDs, you still get 16 hops.
It doesn't exist (in practice) because nobody cares. And if a significant proportion of population did then the government would do everything in their power to shut it down or take control of it (and most governments have the means to do that, eventually, no matter what naive American/European armchair "freedom fighters" think).
They did. Welcome to the rabbit hole that is LoRA, Mesthastic and ESP-32 devices.
You'll have a blast. They've even recreated BBSes and IRC.
I've got two devices online and I have no idea what's next. Nothing ever happens on the network.
Same. Nobody listens to his radio 24x7. Hardly anyone ever responds to "Hello, World!" messages in real time. We do see nodes located far, far beyond the horizon. On a good day, there are way over 150 nodes operating, which is enough to keep channel utilization above 10% without any traffic beyond NodeInfo, Telemetry, or Position.
I don't know what it's all for. A couple of friends keep nodes charged and on the air locally. We expected to be able to exchange off-grid text messages, but, on a bad day, only about 2/3 of our messages ever go through. We need more LOCAL nodes! It's difficult to imagine how to advertise though.
I suspect the agenda of Ham-Radio Operators with regard to Meshtastic who had nodes up before we did was just to dabble with the technology. Their agenda with regard to emergency preparedness is much more robust. For example the list of certifications required of Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network volunteers is (long):
"All SATERN Members • Must be a FCC licensed amateur radio operator • Must have an up to date completed volunteer profile • Must be credentialed and have an ID badge • Must follow the amateur radio operators code of conduct • Complete Safe from Harm training • Complete Introduction to Emergency Disaster Services training • Complete FEMA ICS-100 and ICS-700 • Complete Salvation Army SA-200 Incident Command System Training • Be proficient with net operations • Be proficient with the ICS-214 form • Be proficient with the ICS-309 form • Understand the ICS-217 and ICS-205 forms • Be proficient with the ICS-213 message and ARRL radiogram • Must have an understanding of how to report and/or halt any unsafe operations.
"TYPE FIVE Shadow Communicator, TYPE FOUR Canteen Communicator, & TYPE THREE VHF / UHF Communicator
"In addition to the general training and proficiencies above: • Must have a Technician Class License or higher • Recommended Completion of FEMA AUXCOMM training • Be able to program their radio equipment in the field without the aid of a computer • Know their radios' capabilities and limitations • Arrive equipped to meet the needs of the team typing • Be able to function in high stress environments and in adverse conditions • Be able to serve as a net control operator • Be physically fit and able to walk for 10 minutes or more to serve as a shadow • Be able to lift 50 lbs as part of a canteen crew. • Type Three must be qualified to drive a Salvation Army vehicle (must have a valid driver’s license and be a Salvation Army approved driver)"
... so, if Meshtastic node owners aspire to having any role to play in emergency preparedness, then just operating a $50 LoRa radio probably isn't going to cut it. Understanding how to keep out of the way of the folks doing the heavy lifting is important, too. Meshtastic Users' getting the cold shoulder from anyone else having the least familiarity with emergency services is surely plausible.