we tried to make an off-grid cell network… (with meshtastic)

When my friend reached out to me a few weeks ago and told me about this Meshtastic thing he was working on to make an off-grid messaging network in our local area, I thought he was insane. But fast-forward to today, and I'm down $140 and 4 hours of my time setting up the network and testing it to see how good it really is. Spoiler alert: it actually worked.
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don't commit crimes (use the right frequencies)
AU, US, JP, NZ, CA: 915MHz
CN: 470MHz
EU: 868MHz, 433MHz
everywhere else: https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/docs...
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alic's socials
Instagram:   / aliclonsdale  
Twitter:   / hypotenous_  
GitHub: https://github.com/ScytheDEM
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helpful resources
Meshtastic Web Flasher: https://flasher.meshtastic.org
MeshMap: https://meshmap.net
An Unofficial Guide to Meshtastic: https://meshtastic.letstalkthis.com
Meshtastic Community: https://meshtastic.discourse.group
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build your own meshtastic (aliexpress/banggood, non-affiliate)
LILYGO TTGO: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32872...
LILYGO T-Deck: https://www.banggood.com/LILYGO-T-Dec...
the antenna: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10050...
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BYOM (amazon, US, affiliate)
LILYGO T-Deck: https://amzn.to/4aEs6bY
LILYGO TTGO: https://amzn.to/3TCsCjy
915MHz antennas: https://amzn.to/4cAPhWe
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Gear (US, affiliate links)
Camera 1 - iPhone 15 Pro Max (non-affiliate): https://www.apple.com/iphone-15-pro/
Camera 2 - iPhone 13 Pro: https://amzn.to/3TKlYIb
Camera 3 - Canon EOS M50 MII: https://amzn.to/3J4sF2R
Camera 4 - Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarers: https://amzn.to/4alV6p9
Gimbal - DJI OM 4 SE: https://amzn.to/4anmyCQ
Editing Laptop - M2 MacBook Air 13": https://amzn.to/3varSdw
Keyboard - Akko 3068B Plus: https://amzn.to/3TB2SVX
Mouse - Logitech MX Master 3: https://amzn.to/4ag2Wjp
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Socials
Twitter:   / @definitelyhades  
Instagram:   / couldbehades  
everything else: https://bento.me/hadesyt
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Timestamps
00:00 - intro
00:31 - what is meshtastic?
01:21 - why is it cool?
02:09 - what did we do?
02:25 - hardware overview and setup
02:29 - overview of the T-Deck
02:42 - unboxing the T-Deck
02:56 - setting up the T-Deck
04:04 - setting up the mobile app
04:31 - overview of the TTGO
04:58 - overview of the antenna
05:40 - testing the hardware
08:36 - building the node
39:52 - testing the network
55:08 - outro
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Affiliate Link Disclosure
Links marked with "(affiliate)" or similar markings are links that financially support the channel with your purchase, at no extra cost to you.
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Tags
#meshtastic #offgrid #networking