Why would I use this mesh netowork:

Migration

• Hikers or back country out of direct range to cellular or internet
  
• Emergency workers where infrastructure is damaged, overloaded or non-existent 
  
• Remote neighborhoods cutoff from outside communication
  
• Casual users or events (e.g. marathons, conventions)

• Meshtastic is a free, unlicensed messaging solution that is text only, linked to phones or computers by bluetooth, with options to connect by wifi or usb connection.
  
• Meshtastic uses low power radios in progressa mesh configuration, meaning to communicate with another unit, one only needs to connect to any other unit in the mesh.
  
• Since it links to your phone or computer using bluetooth, so there is no internet needed.
  
• To link to units beyond the mesh links, a messaging server (MQTT) on the internet can be linked to any mesh, either using your phone connection (cellular to internet) or other broadband internet connection (e.g. satellite or land internet).
  
• The radios use a frequency originally used by cordless phones (900 mHz) but with very low power, in a digital mode, using very small bandwidth-all meaning the range can be many miles for very small, very low power units.
  
• The wavelength of these units (900 mHz) is "bendy" meaning you may not have line of sight to another in the mesh, but still make a link, much more flexible than normal UHF or SHF radio.
  
• Meshtastic units use a free, unlicensed technology called LoRaWan, or LoRa for short, meaning long range, which has been used in the past for data like sensors on a wide area network (LoRaWan).
• Meshtastic units are relatively inexpensive, as they are simply modified firmware running on existing small IoT devices, most for around $30
• Some kits include battery, screen and a case for around the same price
• Most small units have a battery life of 4-12 hours, with some units solar powered for remote "repeater" uses.
• Meshtastic units are programmed using bluetooth to a phone app (meshtastic app) or using a wired usb connection using chrome and the meshtastic web app from meshtastic.org
• To upgrade meshtastic units, a wired usb connection is easiest and necessary in most cases, using chrome and the web flasher app from meshtastic.org
• Meshsense is an app from affirmatech.com that runs on computers to map out mesh networks, including those linked by the messaging server