Peer-to-Peer Mesh Broadcasting Phone App

Texan-in-Training · Sep 4, 2019

I stumbled across this short article this morning and thought just how helpful it could be in certain situations... could have posted under "Electronics", but this seems like a better spot.
FWIW, I've already managed to load the app onto my "stone age" iPhone 4s and equally ancient iPad (by calling it a phone - otherwise "no bueno")
It's called "Bridgefy" and it's what the Hong Kong protesters are using to communicate now that the ChiComs have shut down the internet.

http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/index.php/2019/09/04/hong-kong-5/

jordanmills · Sep 28, 2019

Hey this is the kind of thing I do.

Non-paired Bluetooth is a neat use case for that. The store and forward capabilities (like SMTP used to be) could be useful. But they could also be subject to the same kind of malicious interference that we see with SMTP now (spam... lots of spam). The distance is very short, so there are going to be lots of hops. Building and storing a routing table would be a nightmare. Random store and forward would take huge amounts of space and have a huge amount of lag.

If you don't need much bandwidth, look at little LORA modules. The throughput ranges from 37.5 kbps to 15 bps (yes that's two characters per second) but is adjustable on the fly. The problem, especially with the HK use case, is that it requires separate hardware (just another phone-sized device connected with USB or Bluetooth). The great thing about the HK use case is that everyone was able to do it with hardware they already had in hand.

You could use other kinds of hardware and modulation instead of LORA, but it would all require separate hardware.

Mowingmaniac 24/7 · Sep 28, 2019

Techno-speak is gibberish to me.

Can you dumb it down so even a fossil can understand?

(or are you hoping to impress?)

jordanmills · Sep 28, 2019

Mowingmaniac 24/7 said:
Techno-speak is gibberish to me.

Can you dumb it down so even a fossil can understand?

(or are you hoping to impress?)

Passing information phone-to-phone over Bluetooth instead of each phone talking to a cell phone tower.

Bozz10mm · Sep 28, 2019

Does this turn your phone into a walkie talkie? Or is it texting only?

Byrd666 · Sep 28, 2019

IF, and I say if, it is any bit similar to like that being used in Venezuela, and some other commie controlled locales, it's a cross between walkie and text. Kinda' some of each.

If I read the info. on what they are using down south correctly.

benenglish · Sep 28, 2019

How long before the Chinese government puts a few thousand of these in the pockets of folks paid to walk around in the protesting areas?

Mowingmaniac 24/7 · Sep 28, 2019

Jordanm,

Thanks.

TheDan · Oct 1, 2019

benenglish said:
How long before the Chinese government puts a few thousand of these in the pockets of folks paid to walk around in the protesting areas?

I would have a lot of fun fox hunting and then beating the shit out of them.

TheDan · Oct 1, 2019

Texan-in-Training said:
I stumbled across this short article this morning and thought just how helpful it could be in certain situations... could have posted under "Electronics", but this seems like a better spot.
FWIW, I've already managed to load the app onto my "stone age" iPhone 4s and equally ancient iPad (by calling it a phone - otherwise "no bueno")
It's called "Bridgefy" and it's what the Hong Kong protesters are using to communicate now that the ChiComs have shut down the internet.

http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/index.php/2019/09/04/hong-kong-5/

That's fantastic. Love seeing peer to peer comms.

jordanmills said:
LORA modules.

I hadn't seen these; very cool! What's the advantage of a LoRa over a finished product like the goTenna?

jordanmills · Oct 1, 2019

TheDan said:
That's fantastic. Love seeing peer to peer comms.

I hadn't seen these; very cool! What's the advantage of a LoRa over a finished product like the goTenna?

Flexibility, range, price, interoperability. If you use that gotenna stuff, you're going to pay top dollar to do only what they think you should be able to do with it, and it's never going to work with anything they don't feel like supporting or any other brand of comm gear.

Brains · Oct 1, 2019

This is one of the biggest reasons HAM radio needs a youth revival.

jordanmills · Oct 1, 2019

Brains said:
This is one of the biggest reasons HAM radio needs a youth revival.

My uncle gave me a TNC on the condition that I get licensed. It took me twenty-some years to do it, but I finally did. Except for the former morse requirement, I really wish I had earlier.

Mohawk600 · Oct 1, 2019

How does one get a HAM license?

ZX9RCAM · Oct 1, 2019

Mohawk600 said:
How does one get a HAM license?

Go to Pork U.

Mohawk600 · Oct 1, 2019

ZX9RCAM said:
Go to Pork U.

That's funny....but I am seriously asking.

ZX9RCAM · Oct 1, 2019

Mohawk600 said:
That's funny....but I am seriously asking.

I googled and found this....

http://www.arrl.org/ham-radio-licenses

ETA: And, it wasn't really that funny....

Chirpy · Oct 1, 2019

Zello is what the Cajun Navy uses for when cel towers are down.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Vaquero · Oct 1, 2019

Folks used to yodel and holler.
I reckon sound don't carry like it used to.

Mohawk600 · Oct 1, 2019

Vaquero said:
Folks used to yodel and holler.
I reckon sound don't carry like it used to.

can't be heard over the din of the liberals

Peer-to-Peer Mesh Broadcasting Phone App

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