BFGNeil's Blog
Your Meshtastic mesh can bridge messages to the internet via MQTT, connecting with nodes in other cities and feeding data into tools like Home Assistant. Here is how the setup works and what to watch out for.
Meshtastic nodes can connect to your phone or computer three ways: Bluetooth, WiFi, and USB. Here is when each one makes sense and which to reach for first.
Meshtastic uses AES-256 encryption on every channel. Here is how it actually works, what the default channel does and does not protect, and where the real risks are.
Meshtastic gives every node a role that controls how it behaves in the mesh. Here is what each role actually does and when to use it.
Rain, wet foliage, temperature inversions, and ice all affect Meshtastic range in different ways. Some are obvious. One is genuinely counterintuitive.
A Meshtastic repeater node bridges gaps that direct links cannot cross. Here is what one does, when you actually need one, and how to set it up properly.
RSSI and SNR are the two signal quality numbers you will see most in Meshtastic and LoRa. Here is what they actually mean and how to use them to understand a link.
Planning a Meshtastic network? The answer to how many nodes you need isn't just about quantity. Placement and elevation matter far more than most people expect.
Line of sight explains more about Meshtastic range than transmit power, antenna upgrades, or spreading factor combined. Here is what it actually means in radio terms, why height clears the Fresnel zone, and how to use this to get real coverage improvements.
LoRaWAN is the open network protocol that turns LoRa radio into a managed IoT system, connecting battery-powered sensors to the cloud over kilometres. Here is how it actually works, from gateways to network servers, and how to start using it.
LoRa modulation is controlled by three parameters: spreading factor, bandwidth, and coding rate. Here is what each one does and how to think about the trade-offs between range, speed, and airtime.
Loading more stories...