Projects / Meshtastic Solar Node

Meshtastic Solar Node

A solar-powered Meshtastic LoRa mesh node designed for reliable off-grid communication through Canadian winters.

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What it is

Before we keep going, I've been told this can, at times, sound like the beginnings of a manifesto. This is no such thing. How's that for a hook, Mr. Grade 9 English teacher?
You know what I haven't heard in a while? "Unprecedented times." It was a favourite during the Covid-19 era, and I'm a little disappointed that we've all just stopped using it. I guess we've just gotten used to the whole unprecedented-ness of it all? Oh, what a shame.
Anyway, I say this with no intention of sounding like a doomer or prepper, but times are continuing to lack precedent. Since communication here in Canada is controlled by a handful of telecom giants (or as we cool kids call them, "central points of failure",) it's worth considering communication in the event of a partial or total loss of connectivity. You know, just in case.
As if that's not enough, I look at the slow and steady death of privacy and anonymity in favour of protecting the terrorists from the evil children, or whatever excuse is used these days, and how it's getting harder and harder to not get tracked by some big corporation or 3-letter agency as you spend your time online. With all that in mind, I think it's imperative we contribute to our friendly neighborhood decentralised communications networks.
As such, I've decided to help our local Meshtastic network. Meshtastic is an open-source, LoRa-based (LongRange) mesh communication system that lets small radio nodes relay messages between each other without relying on cell towers, internet providers, or centralized infrastructure. This project is my attempt to build a rugged, solar-powered node that can stay online through Canadian winters and quietly strengthen the local off-grid communications network.

Basic Tech Stack

LoRa Module [TODO] Solar Panel [TODO] Battery [TODO] Antenna [TODO] Solar Charge Controller [TODO] Weatherproof Enclosure [TODO]

Photos

Project photo 1
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Project photo 2
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What it does

  • Capability one: short description of impact.
  • Capability two: short description of impact.
  • Capability three: short description of impact.

Project logs

Build notes, design decisions, and progress updates.