Hello!
Would it be possible for the LoRa devices to support Meshtastic in addition to The Things Network?
I have an RBwAPR-2nD and would like to use it as a Meshtastic repeater or as a client-mute to be able to route chats via MQTT.
No, you just have access to the LoRaWAN protocol, which does not have a peer-to-peer scheme. Meshtastic is custom firmware that use custom modulation scheme. And Meshtastic does not need any gateway, which is it's raison d'être, and so it more for Andrino-like devices than on say a wAP devices with no display.
Now, if you want a DIY solution for Chat, and willing to give up the mesh-abilities (and thus need the wAP LoRa gateway).... You can use a container with the "backend" of LoRaWAN locally to avoid the cloud. For example, https://www.chirpstack.io. And the backend let you route MQTT as desired.
I know MikroTik has made running OpenWRT slight easier in recent routerboot firmware... so perhaps with a lot of work/research, you might be able to repurpose the wAP for Meshtastic. But it be tough hill to climb for that. And still not sure possible.
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Of course Meshtastic is already being followed up by MeshCore, so when implementing such protocols the work never ends…
True. And in the Meshtastic (or MeshCore) scheme, a "repeater" can still be a Aurdino-like device, just with "bigger" antennas and better placement.
And if one wanted MikroTik scripting to interact with Meshtastic it be cheaper and easier to just use /tool/fetch to the Meshtastic API on the cheaper Aurdino-like device with Meshtastic/MeshCore firmware all setup.
While perhaps /container might (but unlikely) allow the LoRa radio to be wired to a container that could run some Mestastic/MeshCore code to do this, but even then no LoRa devices ARM-based, so no containers. So $20-40 for small board with LoRa radio running Meshtastic seems WAY WAY easier and less risk.
I did play with LoRaWAN a bit for fun, see Experiments with [:convert] for bits&bytes +CSV from /iot/.... I didn't write it up, but I did have some LoRa Aurdino's (that I had previously played with Meshtastic on, but using the LoRaWAN firmware get them to display messages from LoRaWAN with MQTT to the broker/lorawan-server described in the post – all running on MikroTik locally. So I know this is possible if you have some specific need – but to build a general "chat" app that be harder using "pure" LoRaWAN.
And we actually do use LoRaWAN+KNOTs at some site for Victron solar/power reporting to their VRM console (since Victron has LoRaWAN module but need gateway like KNOT) – which all works extremely well.
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