Looking to see if I could execute this using Meshtastic.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but meshtastic is great for short amounts of data to transfer over long distances.

Thinking about having a node (comfortabley) attached to my dogs that frequently broadcasts their GPS location.

This would be an alternative to using data sim cards and other extra junk. Essential for out in the boonies.

How small could this get? I don’t think they’d mind wearing a chunky block on their side, but the smaller the overall better.

And would this also be great for keeping track of important objects and personal belongings?

Thanks.

  • m-p{3}@lemmy.ca
    2·
    21 days ago

    For that I simply went with a bluetooth beacon compatible with the Google Find My Network. Small, no SIM data plan needed and a battery life of 2 years on a CR2032.

    It’s not open source, but the network scale is hard to ignore and I’d rather put more chance of finding my dog if he happens to get lost.

    • TurkeyDurkey@piefed.worldOPEnglish
      5·
      21 days ago

      I appreciate the suggestion, but falling to that convenience is what I’m fighting against. Relying on any proprietary networks or stuff less controllable is a no go. Looking forward to open source systems as reliable as the common alternatives.

      • sobchak@programming.dev
        6·
        21 days ago

        Lora is proprietary. The hardware manufacturers pay for that though (and pass the costs down to you).

        RAK boards without GPS can use ~15ma on average. Not sure how much more with GPS. Sensecap t1000-e is pretty compact, has GPS, is water resistant, and can last 3 days on battery.