Meshtastic

703 readers

1 users here now

A community to discuss Meshtastic (https://meshtastic.org/docs/introduction)

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

The bigger the better? Good idea to use a big Helium antenna with a tiny node? (lemmy.world)

submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

9 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Just out of curiosity and inspired by a previous post here, i ordered two XIAO ESP32S3 - Wio-SX1262 Kits and a SenseCAP Card Tracker T1000-E.

I dont expect much if any nodes in the area around so the plan is to put one ESP+SX1262 up as a Router to the Internet (if this is the correct wording). The other one can be a sensor later on but first i want to test out the GPS tracking around the area (countryside).

As the SX1262 only comes with a small antenna, i thought about getting a used big (like 6dbi) Helium antenna for cheap to increase the range of the Router.

Whould this be an acceptable setup to start with, or just stupid? (especially the antenna and Router Part?)

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

I've been using the Meshtastic site planner (https://site.meshtastic.org/) to plan out my mesh before committing to anything. Among other variables, you can plug in the antenna gains/heights to get a good idea of what your coverage will be (though it is just an estimate). A 6 dBi antenna and a few meters of height can go a long way from the results I've been seeing. The biggest factor is line of sight, so getting your gateway node up as high above the "smaller" nodes will give the best results regardless of which antenna you go with.

if this is the correct wording

I think "gateway" is the more correct term. From what I've read in the docs, "router" is usually used for nodes configured with the "router" role (which is different from a node connected to the internet via MQTT). In most cases, it's recommended to just keep all the nodes in "client" role since the "router" role behavior can be counter-productive in many cases.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I would be careful about using high gain antennas over 3dbi because while the signal can transmit physically farther, it also is a narrower window of signal and can be blocked by elevation changes. As an example, somebody with a 3DBI antenna would be able to talk to somebody on an airplane, but somebody with a 10DBI antenna would not.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

I'll second this. My 6 dBi antenna was able to hit a plane, but only because it was also 50 miles away. The cone on a 10 dBi would be too narrow even for that.