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What would it take to replace my phone with a radio mesh? (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 months ago by to c/meshtastic@mander.xyz
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/50312445

Assuming i never had to call anyone more than a few miles from me anyway, how practical would it be to stop having a phone altogether and just use MeshCore or Meshtastic for short range communication? What troubles would i run into from not having a phone?

I figure i could even buy radios for people i need to talk to and with no phone bill this would pay for itself in about a year.

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[–] [S] 1 point 3 months ago (2 children)

2fa could be a big issue. I think the only thing i need it for is my Gmail, which i log into maybe a couple times a year.

I use a dumbphone so a lot of the issues here are things i already deal with. If my home internet goes down and i desperately need to check my email or look at fresh pictures of cats, i take my laptop to the public library because i don't have a hotspot.

I will get a couple nodes for friends and family, and see how reliable they are. Currently it seems like i'm the only person in my city using Meshcore or Meshtastic, so i'd be starting the mesh from scratch. But someone has to. And you're right that more people using this will help.

I wish people wouldn't assume everyone has a (smart)phone. I was totally without a phone for a few weeks last year and it was nice.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 months ago

    If you are starting the mesh from scratch anyway, I would say go with mesh core immediately

    With 3-byte repeater IDs, you get 16 hops at a minimum, whereas with meshtastic, you get 7 hops at maximum, and 3 by default.

    Meshcore also delivers messages much more reliably.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 months ago

    make sure you have your drvice set up properly. when i got my first node i didnt see anyone else for a few day, but i hadnt set my region properly, so there were messages going right by me i wasnt recieving.

    i live in a city of around 200k for reference. last i looked i think i had around 250 nodes seen overall.

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