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Equipment in everyday use

Concept image of a small node tucked inside a vehicle glovebox
Vehicle node placement · illustrative concept

LoRa nodes for phones and laptops

Small LoRa nodes with Bluetooth give phones and laptops a convenient way onto the network. We use them for last-mile connections where their low cost and reach make them useful.

We started installing more nodes permanently, including wiring them into vehicles. Having a node already fitted and powered removes the need to find it, charge it and connect everything before each use.

The less our users have to handle the network equipment, the more often they use the network. A node in the car becomes part of the car rather than another piece of equipment to remember.

Installation reports

Read about the way we use these components and the choices behind our installations.

Concept assembly with battery, charge controller, Raspberry Pi, HaLow and LoRa in a cooler
Portable node assembly · illustrative concept

Putting the components together

The charge controller and battery supply power. HaLow connects to the Raspberry Pi through Ethernet; the LoRa node connects to the Pi through USB. The cooler provides an inexpensive enclosure for the assembly.