Digital Comm on Version of Mesh Potato

[Jon_Roland]

Mesh networking for analog phones is a good concept, but to be broadly
useful it also needs to support digital communications, with computers
or smart phones as the client devices. It would seem what while
developing them, you ought to go ahead and enable them for broader
uses.

My concern is emergency disaster situations, and here in the U.S., as
elsewhere, emergency response will require the conveyance of data as
well as voice. I have been involved in some disasters and data
communications proved to actually be more important than voice
communication. From maps to inventories, logistic control to medical
imaging, ground-penetrating radar to biometric identification. The
list goes on. We can use CB or handheld shortwave for voice. Data is
the main need.

[Dan Wilbanks]

Jon,

I think the Mesh Potato concept is for under served communities and remote locations in developing countries or places with limited infrastructure. I think it has great potential for rural/remote health care uses here in the US. Don't you think the low orbit satellite systems would be better suited for data bandwidth in disaster response?

Thanks,

Dan
Rural Oregon, USA

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[Steve Song]

Hi Jon and Dan,

The Mesh Potato does support digital communication through its
ethernet port. It doesn't sound like it because we are so very
focused on optimising VoIP over the network.

It is also theoretically possible to set up the Mesh Potato "OpenMesh
style" with a virtual access point that would allow you to associate a
standard WiFi device with the MP. We haven't done this because of the
hit it would make on VoIP performance. AFAIK there is nothing to stop
you doing this though.

The only thing I wish we had included with the Mesh Potato is a USB
port. That would have opened the door to more unpredictable uses. And
that is very much part of the intent of our design, unpredictability.
While we have a very specific use-case in mind, we have designed the
Mesh Potato to be open to re-use, hacking, adaptation, etc.

Many inventions succeed but not at the purpose for which they were
originally invented. See
http://ask.metafilter.com/118111/examples-of-repurposed-inventions .
We actively encourage re-purposing of the Mesh Potatoes and will do
our best to keep the technology as open as possible to allow for this.

Cheers... Steve