I love LoRa for IoT devices, sensor nodes, automation, environmental monitoring, etc… And I think it is absolutely the future for outdoor electronics. As far as communication I am really not so sure.
What benefits does it have to ham radio though besides no license? There is no real time communication, no possibility of voice, mesh-based which results in delays or dropped messages, and it only works within walking/short biking distance (a couple kilometers) without line-of site tower infrastructure or in mountainous areas.
I could see a potential use of it as a broadcast system during emergency by a central tower for messages that work over text, but further than that I have only seen personal projects or youtubers use them.
Camping isn’t even a great usecase (in my opinion) because in an emergency there are 3 things needed for communication
- Satellite or very long-range communications/broadcast to alert S&R
- GPS location
- real time communication to guide someone out of a dangerous situation or guide them to you using descriptive markers
Lora only has the possibility one of them: telling people your location who are within walking distance. Not to mention it is blocked to a degree by vegetation. Most people go camping with all of their important people within like 100m, and the number one rule of backpacking is don’t go off on your own, especially not off-trail.
ggtdbz@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 weeks ago
I’ve been really interested in the LoRa stuff especially as the state of communication infrastructure (and the electrical infrastructure behind it) is always at the brink of collapse where I am. The only problem is that there is zero chance I can even buy the parts for this “strange encrypted radio” without being arrested under accusation of espionage. If not by the government then by the other guys.
As a backup emergency messaging system we really need it but I really need to not rot in a jail cell that smells of death 20 meters under Beirut street level and need both of my kneecaps.