If you dont use the default LongFast meshtastic is really empty. I switched my node to MediumSlow, since it’s like 86% faster than LongFast. I knew there would not be any in my area, so I subscribed to the msh/US MQTT topic and theres still nobody else. I’m going to leave it like that for a while and see if I hear anything during any kind of band openings or catch any other MQTT nodes trying out that topic. And yes, both uplink and downlink are enabled. I do know that there are some nodes in the Bay Area on msh/US/mqtt-bayme-sh, but I am not near their.
I started reading about Meshtastic yesterday, and got an urge to set up a node even if (according to some maps) no one is near me. But then I started wondering, if I could reach another node, what could I do with that connection? What is it used for? Is it more about technically being able to send messages without an ISP. Do people use this for any real application?
It’s basically a local chat program. Think of it like signal or text messaging, but that only happens locally in your area, unless you enable MQTT, which connects it to the internet. But in my opinion, at least that kind of defeats the purpose, especially if you can reach other nodes locally. You could enable MQTT to add yourself to MeshMap.net if you wish. But that’s an opt-in process. And so, if you’re looking at MeshMap.net, you may see nobody in your area when there actually are people using it.
When I got a node, I learned there are actually quite a few more people in my area than meshmap suggests, because there is a state based MQTT server that most people in this area use. It also means I’m still chatting somewhat locally, but hitting a much wider net than a purely local radio could.
I see! Thank you, that’s hopeful then. Is it designed to be very local area, or is that just the way it is now? Could it one day be used in a more general way beyond chat?
That really depends on the nodes you have around you. If everyone is sitting in their houses with small Keychain nodes your mesh will never reach more than a few miles. But if you add a few key nodes in high places with good antenna then each hop of the mesh can easily reach 10+ miles. Even with the default 3-hop limit I’ve hit a town 60 miles away from me.
People have made BBS’s with it, like from the 1990s, and there are some very limited games you can play over the mesh, such as Mesh Tac Toe. Look up TC2 BBS and Specfive.