MeshTesting

Over the past thirty years, we have become almost entirely dependent on the centralised internet for our communications. However, the availability of a free and open internet cannot be taken for granted. During the recent power outage in Portugal and Spain, millions of people were cut off from digital contact. And in 2019, a protest movement in Hong Kong used a radio wave mesh network to circumvent a government shutdown of the central internet. 

Waag Futurelab is experimenting with radio-based mesh networks, such as Meshtastic: an open source, analogue, decentralised mesh network optimised for low-power devices. Meshtastic enables users to communicate with LoRa stations over long distances without using the internet. Communication via Meshtastic is decentralised (without a router), encrypted, and does not require a telephone. This gives Meshtastic enormous potential to contribute to the resilience of our communication networks in times of crisis. At the same time, mesh technology is still experimental and insufficient research has been done into the use of mesh. 

In this project, Waag is researching how mesh networks can contribute to a stronger decentralised internet by co-creating use cases together with potential user groups. This work contributes to the further development of mesh technologies and interfaces.