Meshtastic is good for local mesh nets with a limited number of participants. If you rather want to connect to larger meshes, Meshcore is the better choice as it’s far more reliable in larger nets.
Yes, depending the case there are several alternatives, eg.Yggdrasil or OSHI Mesh. 40 years ago there was the Finger Protocol which still is implemented by default and works in Windows, Mac and most distros
Meshcore prefers to rely on volunteer infrastructure, meshtastic is better at ad-hoc networks.
If your going to a concert or convention, Meshtastic would be the better system. If your at home trying to make a local network, Meshcore is the tool for you.
Right now the issue is that they both mostly use the same hardware and there isnt really a method of using both projects on the same device to utilize their best aspects, ya sorta just have to go with what everyone else uses.
I saw a device just the other day that had 2 Heltec boards in one in closure so you could have both Meshcore/tastic firmwares running in one handheld enclosure. It seemed like a good way to have both firmwares running in a single device.
!meshtastic@mander.xyz if anyone is interested.
Nice, but... why?
Currently considering buying one to stay in touch with a local community in a jurisdiction with heavy Internet censorship, where only state-run messaging platforms run reliably
It's a hobby
Among other reasons, a well-established, decentralized mesh network builds community resilience that can be very useful in emergencies where centralized infrastructure is compromised.
Decentralized messaging
Also a off-grid communication platform in areas without existing or reliable communications infrastructure.
This is the official technology community of Lemmy.ml for all news related to creation and use of technology, and to facilitate civil, meaningful discussion around it.
Ask in DM before posting product reviews or ads. All such posts otherwise are subject to removal.
Rules:
1: All Lemmy rules apply
2: Do not post low effort posts
3: NEVER post naziped*gore stuff
4: Always post article URLs or their archived version URLs as sources, NOT screenshots. Help the blind users.
5: personal rants of Big Tech CEOs like Elon Musk are unwelcome (does not include posts about their companies affecting wide range of people)
6: no advertisement posts unless verified as legitimate and non-exploitative/non-consumerist
7: crypto related posts, unless essential, are disallowed