Presented by

  • Paul Schulz

    Paul Schulz
    https://www.mawsonlakes.org

    Amonst other things, Paul works with lots of Free and Open Source software projetcts, where he likes to get in behind the software, particularly when there is something that almost, but not completely works. He has been playing with Linux Software for a while now, and is amazed at how creative some people can be. (In software engineering this can be both good and bad.)

Abstract

There are now quite a few cheap ESP32 development boards which also have a LoRa (Long Range) radio on the board. Using these boards with software called Meshtastic, it is possible to easily create a radio mesh, packet based, encrypted communication network, that everyone can use. Meshtasic is a monolithic firmware package for ESP32 based boards, which can easily be installed via a Chrome based browser (or via the command line), and send messages to other meshtasic devices, either via a connected laptop, via a mobile phone (connected via Bluetooth) or with an attached keyboard if available. This presentation will give some project background and theory, go through the process of flashing the Meshtastic firmware onto a common ESP32 board (Heltec LoRa32 V3/3.1, 902-928MHz), go thought the initial configuration stems, and how to join a conference Meshtastic channel and send and receive messages. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own ESP32 boards, a USB cable and their laptop and follow along. No prior reading is required. Links: - Hardware Compatability List: https://meshtastic.org/docs/hardware/devices/ Note: - International delegates please note that you home LoRa band may be different to that used in Australia (902-928MHz). Boards purchased for use at the conference may not be compatible with the Meshtastic network in your country.