TL;DR: Meshcore in WNY is getting awesome! If you have access to or know someone with a rooftop in the city of Buffalo or the surrounding suburbs, or a hilltop that has a vast view, we want to give you a free solar-powered repeater! This will help more WNYers reach our emergency communication mesh. If you want to learn more, check out our links.

🚀 Our WNY MeshCore community has been making huge strides in the past month:

• 📍 Boston, NY: We mounted a repeater high up in the hills in Boston, NY, that bridges the network into St. Catharines, which then bridges into Toronto and beyond.
• 📍 Lockport: We have a new building-top repeater in Lockport providing excellent coverage both to the North (directly across Lake Ontario to Toronto) and to the South (all the way to the Boston, NY repeater site).
• 📍 Sheldon, NY: Over the weekend, we placed a repeater on a grain silo on a hill in Sheldon, NY, that connects directly with downtown Buffalo.

🤔 For those not familiar with MeshCore:

It's a radio technology that utilizes small, low-powered radios that pair to your cellphone using Bluetooth.

• 📱 These devices are called companions, and there are several types available for between $30 and $70.

Companion Radios connect to Mobile App via Bluetooth

These devices, while paired to your phone, allow you to send text messages by converting your text into radio waves. These waves then bounce across a network of similar radios assigned as repeaters.

• ☀️ Repeaters use the same hardware as companions but are often built for outdoor applications and are solar-powered.

Magnet Mounted Solar Powered Repeater

Pole Mounted Hill Top Solar Repeater

Since these devices use encrypted messaging, the FCC requires the radio to provide less than 1 watt of power; therefore, having repeaters connected by line of sight is essential. We prioritize high locations such as hilltops and tall buildings; if we can place these self-contained radios up high, they can bridge across huge distances.

Public Channel Messages From our Northern Neighbors

If you are within range of one of the repeaters, you can use your companion to send either group channel messages or encrypted direct messages to anyone else within range of a mesh-connected repeater. Currently, the Public Channel in WNY is heavily trafficked, as we are combined with many MeshCore users in Toronto as well as WNY. It's a fun and exciting time to make connections.

Direct Message Between a St. Catharines and Boston NY

🚗 Wardriving: To help figure out where to place these repeaters, we drive around with companions attached to vehicles. This pings the mesh every 30 seconds and allows us to see on a public map places where we reach other repeaters at ground level.

https://buf.meshmapper.net/ Shows locations of repeaters and locations the mesh was pinged

🤝 How YOU can help:

If you, or a family member, or friend has access to a building in Buffalo or the surrounding suburbs, please help us get permission to mount a solar powered repeater there. Also hill top areas with views of the surrondings are aslo ideal!!

Why it's hassle-free:

• Self-Sufficient: These devices are completely self sufficient (require no power, internet).
• Damage-Free: They mount using magnets or hose clamps (no drilling).
• Interference-Free: They use a frequency (ISM Band) that won't cause any interference with other devices.

PLEASE we are hoping to make this service available for everyday folks in Western New York and need community support to be successful. We will forever be in your debt, and know you are helping to create a network that will help you and your surrounding area with an emergency communication tool that will work independent of power outages, and cell disruptions!

🔗 If you want to learn more:

In Western NY we have a community Discord filled with folks who are excited to help teach and support anyone who joins. If you just want to stop in and say hello we like that too!!

• 💬 Join the Discord:https://discord.gg/QNmC8rDxtS
• 🌐 Our Website:https://wnymeshcore.org/
• 💻 App & Radio Firmware Developers:https://meshcore.io/