I have been looking for a solution that allows for a low power Meshtastic repeater and the RAK 4361 is hands down the best solution so far!
I ordered the Meshtastic Starter Kit at https://store.rakwireless.com/products/wisblock-meshtastic-starter-kit?variant=43588648534214 and waited a few weeks for it to arrive. I was a little skeptical but there are some others that have been running the setup with great success so I decided to try it out as well… And I am glad I did.
The issues with the last repeater build was power consumption. I used the Heltec V3 with batteries and a 5V solar panel with much success but the issue remained that if I went without sun for a day, the repeater would die and go into an endless reboot when the sun returned. The Heltec V3 would not turn back on and effectively not function as needed.
RAK 4361 on the WisBlock to the rescue
After getting the Meshtastic Start Kit with the RAK 4361 I was instantly impressed with the ease of use. The system ties seamlessly into the Meshtastic mobile app as well as the web client once I flashed it with the latest firmware from Meshtastic. In my case, the RAK 4361 will be used as a dedicated repeater for Meshtastic and thus, I simply configured the device as such.
Configuration
- Region: US
- Role: Client Router
- LoRa: Long Moderate
- Primary Channel: Default
- Secondary Channel: 256 Byte Encrypted
- 5V Solar Panel connected to the USB-C connector.
- 2 18650 batteries in a tray connected to the battery connector
The RAK 4631 on the WisBlock loaded with Meshtatstic has proven to be the best solution so far that I have set up. The power consumption is ideal for a solution where the device needs to run without interaction for long periods of time. I have notice that the device will start up with lower power levels making the issue of infinite rebooting non existent.
If you are looking for a solution for a Meshtastic repeater, The RAK 4631 is a great starting point!
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