JOIN THIS EXCITING OFF GRID NETWORK!!!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ธ.ค. 2023
- In this video I discuss how to setup a Heltec LoRa 32 V3 for use with the Meshtastic network. If you want to know more about meshtastic watch this:
In this video I explore the world of LoRa wireless messenging, in particular Meshtastic. I do a range test and invite you to join me in helping to expand the Meshtastic network, a completely off grid network which does not rely on the internet or cellular infrastructure. Exciting times!
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My music is available on all streaming platforms (Search Andy Kirby and I should come up!) - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
3:36 - "If you're using Linux, you probably know what you're doing."
Truer words have never been spoken.
Being a Linux user makes me realise how little I know about what I'm doing. 😅
Ya, do more reading before I do the thing they might fry hardware.
Judt because I do the Linux does not make me smart. I am just aware of how dumb I am thanks to all the things I broke.
@@singletona082 there's an old saying, I know I'm stupid, so I must be smarter than you. 😜👌
Not true anymore, probably was true once. I have Linux running on a laptop I use for mostly just email and internet. I used Linux in college but that was decades ago and I have forgotten all the stuff I don't use daily. Anyhow point is, I'm running Mint and it is as easy to install programs and do routine stuff as Windows. At one time you had to have some knowledge to run Linux, but not anymore. Pretty much anyone can do it.
@@valis992000 you must be fun at parties
This is the first time I hear of this technology and it's so cool, it's basically just the internet, but even the infrastructure itself is in the hands of the people. Super cool stuff.
You should look up ClusterDuck Protocol too then and other videos like it.
If it only worked...
It's not Internet. At all. It's text messaging over radio.
@@BrightBlueJim
it will be crucial for the years ahead..
we can do this with routers and many devices.
Only high end ISP's are advertised but we can still get dialup and/or make our own networks through neighborhoods and cities (and iirc a guy in Colorado did this for free for the entire (small) city/town.).by using low end wifi routers, but we need to be closer or have specialized and focused antenneas.
One company did this with laser and has to be line of sight but tons of bandwidth... all private, unregulated.
If you bought 20 wifi routers and shared them with your neighbors you too can setup a private lan.
The benefit of comcast/frontier (high end companies) is speed and bandwidth on their infrastructure...but with their ties to spy on you (which is basically their own interests and service).
basically the term internet or web is only the transfer of data, which can be done in many ways, and dial-up is decent for chat rooms and afaik free these days (if you have a land-line).
Please, please, please people who watch this; attach the antenna BEFORE powering up the board. And make sure you have discharged any static buildup that you may be harboring (especially in winter).
Great use for that old mobile phone with no sim still connects via Bluetooth. Awesome.
shame that a self sufficient kit couldn't be knocked up (solar by day battery by night) and plant these at random locations to create an ultimate network . would be awesome
There was a project called disaster radio that foresaw exactly that.
Unfortunately, the project died.
But in war... Doesn't modern EW kill these signals? Like would this currently working in say Ukraine where there lots of EW
@@mikasjoman LoRA transmissions can often change parameters to be adapted to EW signals to reduce effectiveness of jamming. How good this works depends from what EW signals you are facing so this can't be a "yes or no" question.
People are literally doing this already lol
@@ad5000donnellwell, that’s encouraging to know… If you have any names please share.
Excellent introduction video, Andy! Thank you for sharing.
👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
No
This is pretty much what I thought the Internet was originally (and to some extent it was..) I love this sort of thing so much
The internet used a lot of techniques developed for the ALOHAnet mesh radio network that was set up in Hawaii all the way back in 1971.
@@MrDunclNever heard of the ALOHAnet before. I've always been fascinated by the early days of ARPAnet. Time for me to do some reading. Thanks for the tip.
Came for the cool little radio board, stayed for the banger trance anthem.
Great videos on the Metastatic Andy. My two Haltec boards arrived today and this video really helped me set them up. Im yet to find any other nodes in my town. Tomorrow i will be heading to high ground for the sunday Chanel 34 afternoon DX net. The Meshtastic will be with me. If anyone fancies trying some DX. Ill be on from about 2pm. Hopfully i can find some active nodes.
These are a lot of fun to play with (had them for some time). Setting licenced ham operator would be useful on the 70cm band in some parts of the world where power can be higher with a PA. But also that setting that (should) disable encryption as per local laws. One thing to be aware of is the channel name you choose will create an encrypted channel. So if you change that you'd not be on the "default" channel that Andy shows here. You can see the encryption settings for the channel in the radio settings dialog. It can actually get pretty complex once you start digging. But that's part of the fun! There's also a version that is only for Amateurs called Meshcom but there are really few users of that at the moment. Worth checking though. Thanks for the video!
From what I understand its a grey area your technically setting up an experimental remote repeater.
"As per local laws"? Who are you, the feds? Bro is over here showing us how to take power away from the government and you, the #2 top comment, want to give it back? Glowie piece of garbage. I'm not falling for this. 45 likes my ass, probably all NSA bots. Screw you.
I live very near to the south Devon coast. My helium miner hits the channel islands from here, no problem. It also pings off portland regularly. This got me thinking. Once offshore, boats have either no, or very expensive connections. This cheap piece of kit could be a very useful way of sending messages, particularly a mayday/panpan.
From my location alone, I could cover a big chunk of the English Channel.
Fascinating! You should definitely set a mesh up. What antenna are you using on your miner?
Boats have DSC for that purpose,and it's is free and well monitored
Hf-Vhf radio is mandatory from vessels ranging in small and upwards. Larger vessels usually have Satcom and LTE links.
Is helium mining worth it? been considering using one of those and later setting up with a solar panel (Live on east coastish shit town in a flyover state so no competitive issues).
Andy Kirby.... the man and the legend who makes the intro, contents, and outro music kick ass. :D :D
👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼😁
@@andykirby- Putting Armin van Buuren to shame with your incredible trans/techo/EDM fusion. :)
Iv been eyeing up lora devices for meshtastic for a few years now! Glad you've decided to give em a look too
Do you have any Open Source alternatives which don't require you to join an association like "LoRa Alliance"?
Great channel Andy! and I LOVE the music you play afterwards - awesome 🤩
Thanks!
Thanks Andy for making this very simple!
I had this idea a few years ago but don't have the knowhow. Glad someone finally did it.
Thanks for this video. I didn't know where to start.
Would make a great sim free ebike gps tracker. Tap the bike for power. Get a mobile node repeater thrown in.
I am blown away by the range and bandwidth achievable with these modern transceiver protocols. LoRa, OcuSync, WSPR, NextGenTV ect ect. The government will be butting in on this mesh stff no doubt. Imagine how pist they would be if we the people created our own internet network.
Agree... the 3-letter government departments won't like this as they lose control over what they can monitor and will atttempt to influence governments to shut it all down due to 'national security'.
If some could be connected to some routing equipment it’s definitely possible.
The government aren't actually the ones at risk. They may very well but in, but it would be because of the corporations padding their pockets. The internet is already decentralized anyway. That's what makes it so difficult to control.
@@russellallen1006That's why it's important to reject misinformation laws, because they're censorship laws obviously.
They have been going after network people since 2017
Ordered & should arrive tomorrow. This looks fantastic. I live in Northants. It would be great if could get through to you in Hertfordshire....
I was really surprised by their range and it got me thinking about how practical it would be to setup small solar-powered nodes. If it's small enough to run for a usable amount of time in a package that small then it can't burn too much power at all, so a small solar panel or something with a simple metal rod to stick into the dirt and a 3d printed housing could make a really nice little relay node. If it can be ran on pretty generic hardware I might actually chase down that idea a little and try to get a small ESP32 or NRF or something going. If you could get the price of a self-sustaining node under, eeeh, 25-50usd, then even a single individual could reasonably afford to setup relay chains spanning miles and miles.
Granted, at that point you'd probably want to have an integrated low-precision GPS module in them as well so that, if one *_does_* go offline, you can see where the chain broke because it stopped reporting it's position. Could be an interesting little project to chase down.
I was thinking something similar, honestly my GF and I considering living in a more rural area due to crime in the inner city, as well as just high cost for a flyover state city, its just not worth it as I get older.
Or you could maintain the map with device uuids and know which went off without gps
@@thebloodyvlad that wouldn't necessarily work. I mean in the first place it's non-generalized, so you'd have to intentionally map out IDs to positions which is just a pain, but it would fail if, for one reason or another, they got moved around. Say one got picked up and taken somewhere else but still technically has connection then it'd register as still working despite not being in the correct position for the chain.
@@robonator2945 hmmmm.. if one got moved and you mapped and tagged each node, surely you can look at the map, which would just be a series of numbers or names on an ordered list and query until one does not respond. Then either that one is down, has been moved out of range, or the one just before it has been moved but not down.
I have 4 nodes right now. I just got done flashing the most up to date software in them. All of mine have GPS enabled. I am currently setting one up to be a repeater node. You can set these repeaters up to work with any device or just known devices. If you want to make a closed network, you can do the known devices only, but you will need to manually add any device you put on the network so it will know to repeat that signal.
Check out AustinMesh on YT, he does have some videos where he makes a solar powered repeater node.
I have a homelab/server that runs 24/7 - going to look at how I can set up a repeater node for this, hopefully we can get a mesh covering most of the UK.
Could you start a website or Telegram group to coordinate this? I’d much prefer something that didn’t rely on Facebook
I was gonna get a helium miner way back in the day...mesh stuff is cool .I have a hpe server running to and would love to setup a node .
It wasn't just a communication system it used secure scuttlebutt so it mould be more like social media
@@bigmouthstrikesagain4056It uses secure Scuttlebutt, an open-source protocol and network for decentralized social networking.
It’s similar to a traditional social network, but instead of relying on a central server, it uses a peer-to-peer network of devices to store and distribute posts, messages and other content.
The protocol is designed to be secure and decentralized, using end-to-end encryption to protect user privacy and prevent censorship.
It also doesn’t require an internet connection to work, making it useful for people in areas with limited or no internet access.
Sounds cool to
Finally pulled the trigger and set this up for camping. The wife doesn't like intrusive walkie-talkies so this is perfect.
Great video Andy. Think i will get one and have a mess to see if any more are around me. All above my head really but thats how we learn. Like the idea of getting one solar powered 👍🏽
73
This is the most mind blowing concept for communication.
You should tell the Moomins about this!
Great information Andy
just ordered some of these to have a play with - it would be interesting to link the mesh via the net to expand the system UK to Ireland.
hmm this is neat. I don't think i'll get one but it seems like something cool during a power outage to be able to send messages over a mesh that was still powered by solar or something.
This device appears to be the same thing (or similar) to the goTenna Mesh network devices that started on Kickstarter back in 2012 I believe. I actually have a pair of the goTenna’s. They use a 1w UHF radio/GPS transceiver in them. No cell service, no problem. Although they are limited to 3 miles line of sight, unless you set one or more up as repeaters.
Brilliant! Concise! Just what I needed! TNX OM!
I'm loving the meshtastic stuff
Hi Andy, sounds very interesting indeed will have a go at this it looks great :) Your Music you have created is top notch mate, reminds me of Paul Van Dyk very nice indeed :) any links to the full remix or a mixed set you have done?
Amateur radio mode gives access to higher transmit power, as permitted by an amateur license but disables encryption as that isn't permitted for this kind of amateur radio use. It also causes the unit to transmit your callsign every 10 minutes to maintain compliance with your amateur license
Tell that to prepper's with baofeng preparing for shtf
Im so going to give this a go😊
Thanks for taking the time to share this video! Did I see the M5Stack Core device on the Meshtastic drop down list? If so I guess if you have the M5Stack Core and connect it to the M5Stack LoRa Transmitter/receiver, it should work... I guess???
Thanks for this video, Andy, watching it on the train while setting up my first Heltec board and wouldn't have had a clue without it! 73, Simon G0CIQ
Andy, W3ATB here in the USA. MANY thanks for this amazing video. It's very clear. If you need home improvement advice, I'm your go-to guy. TNX again.
That keyboard model very much intrigues me.
The Lilygo T-deck, apparently they use unbranded blackberry keyboards. I first ran across it looking for mini PCs and it caught my eye too, but I had no idea what any of this stuff was until now. About the same price on Amazon as the little device Andy shows here.
@@TheRealAlpha2 Ooh, I must check it out. And buy one.
I was considering attaching one of these to a helium balloon, above my house to get so good range!
PS Love the uplifting trance, I grew up on this stuff. Do you upload your tracks anywhere?
I still have 2 sitting about me and my brother played with them. I am sure the dish/beams are at my mums old place will have to take a look.
Gotta love the music at the end 💪🤟🤘👍👏👏👏
Cool video - now I want to buy those devices for the Netherlands!
Absoluut great banger in the end of the video! 🎧🎼
Hi Andy , thank you so much for great video. I think I just got hooked up , ordered my first device ...
Found your channel through TechAirSpace Meshtastic T-Deck video. How did I not know about Meshtastic before? Our local HAM circles are out of date! Nice to see "new" HAM stuff pop up!
I will definitely try this out
Where do you get that plastic case..? None in stock anywhere
Hi Andy, great video. Where did you get the battery and enclosure for the HELTEC LoRa 32 from?
It was amazon
Great video and I love the music, subscribed 🎶😁
Great video, thanks Andy. You asked about the Licensed Amateur setting. This turns encryption OFF because it's illegal to use encryption on the ham bands. I have unchecked the Licence Ham setting, so that I am just a Joe Public in this scenario. Best 73, Ace G0ACE
Just hearing about Meshtastic. Interesting and thank you.
@andy - loving the tunes, do you have another channel for music production?
Really cool, mind adding a link or description on the type of battery? i'm very new to this. cheers
I would also like to know what type of battery I need for the board. I am definitely going to get one if I know what battery I need.
This is amazing!
Thanks for this.
I've just ordered two of these bad boys... it's given me an itch to scratch ;-)
Can there be encrypted end to end messaging? sounds like cool tech
These will be great in case of SHTF. Keep in touch with your neighboring farmsteads, even when everything is working!
Hi, thanks for the video, I ordered one and it just arrived. When I navigate to the Web Installer the dropdowns dont work. I have the driver installed and my USB cable is definitely data as checked by viewing folder structure on my phone. Is this a comms issue? What port are you set to and what BAUD rate? I tried 9600, 19200, 38400 but no luck. Used Chrome & Edge. Thanks.
Great video.
That outro track you've made is a banger
Hi Andy, great video. I'm finding no activity in my area after buying a Heltec v3 which is a little disappointing. I understand the supplied antenna is a little lacking, what 868mhz antenna would you recommend to pair with the Heltec that still provides portability (also not too expensive). Thanks
This one if you havent already got it... www.experimental-engineering.co.uk/product/868mhz-2dbi-helical-lora-antenna-ufl/
Ulitmately the best option is a home/loft mounted (if you haven't got solar)
amzn.to/42yxYke
Activity will come😁 have you checked the canvis meshtastic map to see if there are users in your area?
I have to research..
sounds cool
Would these be good for a hiker or backpacking as an emergency communication device?
From the way the board is built with power at one end and antenna at the other, it invites the creation of a meshtastic - stick! Battery at one end, antenna at the other. Make a magic wand by extending the antenna and adding some 3d printed decorations on the case.
Just can't find anywhere to buy a board - any suggestions where to go? Thank you.
Thank you. Interesting video. If I want "the best" pre-made and pre-programmed unit with battery, display and a nice antennae (portable antennae/whip). What is the best to buy (if you disregard $$$ as a factor). What is the top shelf unit ?
Great music you’ve made! You should definitely release it or upload it here!
Absolutely! Loved the music on headphones. Where can I get more please?
Great video, just got my Heltec and flashed OK but get a Unpowered text on the unit, with a No GPS as well is it just there are no other units in range?? Thanks Colin
Yes, check the meshtastic map to see if anyone is near you (some stations might not have added themselves yet)
canvis.app/meshtastic-map
Join our discord too:
discord.com/invite/daEVFYFG
THanks for the info and link@@andykirby
Do you have a link to the battery you are using plz Andy
Light enough to fly up on a drone!
Would love to try this with a decent kite, as a budget alternative
a blimp is probably better, drones have very limited flight time
Taped to the side of a Mylar balloon might accidentally make a parabolic antenna. Fill the balloon with helium for altitude and extra confusion!
I’ve watched a few similar videos and I’m confused - can you mesh with a national group of existing nodes to potentially reach thousands of miles away or is it just self-deployed nodes (like a LAN)?
Seems like a standalone radio bbs. What kind of range does it have?
Thks Andy..ordered mine now from AZ and the Housing from Ali....do i need a Battery with a micro JST Connector....?
Awesome! Yes you do need a battery or just run from USB. There are 1100mah batteries on amazon with micro JST.
@@andykirby ...ok...thks...👍
JST 1.2mm. Double check the polarity before connecting.
@@yamez69 ....yes, ok, but the JST plug only fits in one Position, Cables with plugs and open ends are included....Nevertheless, thanks for the Tip.
Amazing! Andy, are you also going to explore Helium?
I've looked into it briefly, I might get a miner up and running just to see which other miners it would connect to. I'm defo more interested in meshtastic though!
Helium is DOA in terms of actual usability. Anything outside of occasionally polled sensors and it's mind bogglingly expensive even in the 1st world. Those 24 byte packets really add up if you want to run something like a phone call, or even frequent text messaging.
7:30 Hi Andy where did you get the battery from, did you get it on eBay? Is it possible you can post a direct link to the website where you bought yours please? I am thinking of buying one it looks really interesting. Thanks.
I did some investigating if this is popular here in Finland and it seems that the government already built a lora network that covers the whole country. Still trying to figure the pricing.
Wow didn't know that, sounds amazing, based on your info I am placing an order for few to keep the family connected 🙏
Andy, could you show an sdr screen of what the signal looks and sounds like please, for identifying meshtastic nodes are about using an sdr. Nobody on youtube seems to have done this
Yes this would be a good idea I think as well please
It's series of up chirps, basically very slow chopped sawtooth wave.
Hi Andy thank you for this video. My problem is as I get older I don't own a computer or Laptop just a modern phone so most things are out of reach due to my age etc. Especially computers. So unable to update my radio firmware etc. Cheers from old George and Jane
This makes me want to get my ham license again... And my old callsign is still available! 73
hi did you install cp210xuniversal windows driver v11.3.0 6/24/23 from the optons ?as there is quite a few
with these Heltec Lora 32 V3's do they automatically do their thing (of meshing) . Do you have to setup some to be repeaters or something? if myself and say 4-5 people in my area each being 1km or 1.5km hop further. Will it extend the ranges of the "zone" to be much wider automatic. or do you need to setup maybe 2 or 3 of them as being repeaters. Or does each meshtastic device do it's own thing with the relays and extending the zone.
I have a small network setup half running on solar . Im trying to get more people in my area on board
Where are you? Have you added your mesh to the meshtastic map?
canvis.app/meshtastic-map
@@andykirby northern Ontario Canada , no , I'm not really sure how that works . My goal is to have a grid down comms link for close friends and family . I do try and spread the whole concept to others who don't want to be on my network , but with most people struggling to pay for fuel and food it's hard to get people to spend 60+ on a radio they might not use . Also alot of people are afraid of " home made " devices . Most people think 3d printers are magical here so it kinda gives an idea of how people here view tech . The people who would use it for hunting or camping are not usually onboard with more than an iPhone , everyone else thinks it's silly or too complicated to be bothered with , or just don't wanna dump money into something else currently .
That thing is sweet, like the hardware. It has Wifi and an antennae, USB C, OLED
anyone have advice on simplest way to get those little OED screens? reminds me of the ones in ledger nano and i just wanna get more i have a thumby maybe ill just use that
Nice! Going by your amazon postcode if I get into this you may be in range of me! (Antenna providing)! Nice to see other people interested in this too!
Hi Andy,,, love the videos.. just got my device,
any help on doing the UK \wide channel please?
Jethro, :)
Question if the app is not open on your cell phone and you get a message, will it be saved for you to see next time the app is opened? or any type of notification ? Thanks!
Banging Trance ending!! ;-)
Could you explain what this is and why would I use it?
I've just picked up an ESP32 Tbeam and it's my first LoRAWAN device, though I'm very interested.
Question for ya - How do I join the "public" channel? I've setup the device and it creates the LongFast-I channel but I see a PSK of "AQ==". I've also tried setting the PSK to blank.
I imagine there's not many nodes in my area if any yet, so I'm trying to simply get a public channel up in my city and wanted to ensure that is the most "open" channel.
Thanks!
Hi, leave the pass code as default. AQ== You can type messages in the bit where it says longfast in the message section of the app (the first tab).
With default settings everyone in range will get your message. 😁
Join our discord, there's loads of us there talking about it. Here is an invite.
discord.com/invite/9dsJhdJC
My favorite part was where you didn’t explain what the heck this thing is
Like yeah….. what the heck is this thing and what does it do???
It’s a low powered off the grid communication node that lets you text anyone with another node in range, or multiple people depending on how many nodes, or if they’re set up on Wi-Fi
@@consideritdunn691 It’s a low powered off the grid communication node that lets you text anyone with another node in range, or multiple people depending on how many nodes, or if they’re set up on Wi-Fi
I set mine up today, cant seem to find any other devices in my area, and im in central london 😅
buildings probably too dense i rekon? Maybe try get high like go up top of shooters hill sumwer like that?
This was in my recommendations and idk why but I’m not mad about it. Lolol I kinda wanna get this to tinker with, may get one without a case and look for some shells that I can 3D print on my printer.
It's good fun, there's some awesome 3D print files around..😁
are you able to connect more then 1 phone/device to a node? eg 3 phones on one node & another node to have 2.
You can, however only one phone/tablet at a time
Thanks for your help answering questions in the comments @yamez69
Good stuff. Side note, did you spend lots of time driving, like for a profession? Also do you drive on the left side of the road? Thanks.
yes left in uk
Can one device connect to more than one phone Bluetooth connection just wondering if you could have one device at home and one at a remote location and use it to communicate with lots of phones or would I need one device per phone
It seems like alot of progress has been made in the past few years, awesome.👍
So if I want to create one of these devices as you have, does that mean I don't have to worry about the pins on the board? Some of them have the two rows of pins soldered on them, others don't. It looks like yours do not have the pins soldered on. Thanks!
Nope you don't need the pins 👍🏻
Excellent introduction! This is new to me and I can’t wait to get started but, since I ordered from Aliexpress, I don’t think they’ll arrive till next year. I was hoping they’d have a battery on board but I guess a USB power pack and a USB lead should get it to light up.
I ordered from Aliexpress after this video was posted, and I have received the three heltech lora devices today. Australia dellivery.
Just be careful of your suppliers, I had bad products from them a few years ago and ruined one of my side businesses.
Sorry it’s the wrong video to comment on but looking for help, on your Audi TT just wondering what MPG you are getting with it being stage 3 now? Would love to know thanks !!
Better than it was as standard! The thing is, with my tune my turbo spools up around 3K RPM so if you are doing an eco drive you are basically off boost. Of course if you tear around everywhere then it's worse👍🏼😅
@@andykirby cheers mate best tt build I seen out there for sure! Seen your channels flying recently don’t forget us petrol heads when your famous 😂