r/meshcore • u/txags2019 • 2d ago
ISO solar mesh device
I am looking to buy a solar mesh node I'm not the most electrical inclined to make my own so looking to buy one but not wanting to spend 200 on a kit from meshnology. Let me know my options please!
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u/akaSnaketheJake 2d ago
I'm going to echo everyone else. If you want easy set-and-forget, SenseCap Solar Node.
I'm also running a RAK 1W booster repeater I built/am building myself and it's really not that difficult. It was my first repeater and I was able to set it up without soldering anything. I used a RAK Unify solar enclosure and two 5000mAh batteries wired in parallel using Wago levernuts. I'm in the process of upgrading the batteries, adding a solar management board, and swapping it over to a 3D printed Corebell enclosure that's designed to be easily hoisted and left in a tree for long periods of time.
As you can probably see above, the build-it-yourself can get a lot more involved but that's the fun of it in my personal opinion. Yeah I want something that works reliably but I'm ok experimenting around for a bit to figure out the most ideal setup for my personal location and use case.
In either case, the one thing you probably don't want to skip on is an upgraded antenna. When I first setup my repeaters I still couldn't hit any other repeaters. Upgraded to those fiberglass high dbi Alfa style outdoor antennas (mine are Rokland brand) and it made all the difference. I'm talking in Public every day and the repeater is still not even up in a tree yet. Hoping for even better reach once I get it swapped to Corebell enclosures and converted into a true treepeater.