Vivian Van Zyl (LoraMeshDevices.com)

I’ve been testing solar charging on the Heltec V4 Solar node from my recent build (https://youtu.be/BWjLcdKF0_8), and the results look promising!

The Setup: Heltec V4 with a 3W Solar Panel Location: Florida, USA (Winter)

The Results:

Recharge: Started at 50% and hit 100% within a few days.
Nightly Drain: Drops about 14% overnight.
Recovery: Back to 100% by 11 AM on sunny days.

Since I'm in Florida, we get good sun even in winter, so results will vary if you are further from the equator. But for this location, a 3W panel is definitely feasible for the Heltec V4!

#meshtastic #heltec #solarnode #lora #offgrid

1 week ago | [YT] | 9

Vivian Van Zyl (LoraMeshDevices.com)

More info on the Meshtastic CLIENT_BASE role ..

The CLIENT_BASE role is a setting introduced in Meshtastic Firmware 2.5 designed to optimize how "personal base stations" (like a node in your attic or on your roof) handle traffic.

Its primary use is to give priority service to your own devices while still participating in the wider mesh as a normal client.

Key Purpose

The role solves a common problem: your handheld device (indoors or in a pocket) has a weak signal, while your roof node has a strong signal.

Without CLIENT_BASE: Your roof node treats your handheld like any other stranger's node.It might not rebroadcast your message if it thinks another node (even a weak one) has already done so.

With CLIENT_BASE: Your roof node acts as a dedicated "Repeater" specifically for your devices, ensuring their messages get blasted out with high priority, while treating everyone else's messages normally.

How It Works

The CLIENT_BASE role is a hybrid of two other roles:

Behaves like ROUTER for Favorites: If a message comes from or is sent to a node you have marked as a "Favorite" in the app, the base station will rebroadcast it aggressively (like a Router).

Behaves like CLIENT for Everyone Else: For all other mesh traffic, it acts like a standard Client node, participating politely without clogging up the airwaves.

When to Use It

You should use this role if:

You have a stationary node in a high location (roof, attic, tower).

You have mobile nodes (handhelds, car nodes) that you want to ensure are always heard.

You want to extend the range of your personal devices without being "spammy" to the rest of the network by running a full Router or Repeater node.

How to Configure It

Update Firmware: Ensure all nodes are running Meshtastic firmware 2.5 or newer.

Set Role: Go to Radio Configuration -> Device on your base station node and change the role to CLIENT_BASE.

Add Favorites:

Connect to your base station node via Bluetooth/WiFi.

Go to your Node List (Peers).

Find your personal handheld nodes in the list.

Mark them as "Favorite" (usually a star icon or a setting in the node details).

Note: If you do not add Favorites, the CLIENT_BASE role will function exactly the same as a standard CLIENT role.

3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 12

Vivian Van Zyl (LoraMeshDevices.com)

I've had this discussion for a while now, and perhaps someone can help me understand what I am missing. The issue is around SHOUTING in the Meshtastic community.

I see that the new Heltec V4, you can increase the output power! Everyone wants to do that, but it does not increase the input (sensitivity) of the device... This leads to SHOUTING in my opinion.


It stated: "Setting the Heltec v4 to 28dB does not increase the receiver's sensitivity; the 28dB setting specifically controls the transmit power. While the V4's new design with an added LNA does improve receiver performance compared to older models, this improvement is independent of the transmit power setting. Adjusting the transmit power to 28dB is a separate action that will increase the signal's strength in one direction (transmitting), but it will not inherently make the device more sensitive to signals coming from other devices."

So looking at the two images, when your OUTPUT = INPUT, the nodes you reach, and the nodes that can reach you is BALANCED.

If you increase the output, the result is that the blue circle will get bigger, so everyone can hear you ! but the nodes beyond the red circle, cannot respond, aka SHOUTING. (UNBALANCED)

#meshtastic #heltecV4

Any thoughts?

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3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 5

Vivian Van Zyl (LoraMeshDevices.com)

Sunday morning breakfast with the Elecrow ThinkNode M1 and Meshtastic...

#meshtastic #elecrow

1 month ago | [YT] | 7

Vivian Van Zyl (LoraMeshDevices.com)

Got a V4 today. Will test and post a video. Looks nice 👍

#heltec #meshtastic #node #iot

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1 month ago | [YT] | 20

Vivian Van Zyl (LoraMeshDevices.com)

About to start a quick Solar build with Meshtastic and a Seeed nRF52840 Node, Alpha 915Mhz antenna and 18650 battery.

#meshtastic #solar

2 months ago | [YT] | 24

Vivian Van Zyl (LoraMeshDevices.com)

The latest Meshtastic Alpha Android app is looking real good ... It has really been evolving steadily over the last year. Can't wait to see what comes next....

2 months ago | [YT] | 17

Vivian Van Zyl (LoraMeshDevices.com)

Trying out the new CLIENT_BASE role setting for my solar node.

The Meshtastic CLIENT_BASE role is a specialized role for a well-positioned base station, like a rooftop node, that prioritizes rebroadcasting messages from and to your other personal Meshtastic nodes. This ensures a more reliable and efficient forwarding path for your own messages and helps them reach the wider mesh network, while still functioning as a standard client for all other network traffic.

Remember to Favorite your local nodes on the solar node ...

2 months ago | [YT] | 17

Vivian Van Zyl (LoraMeshDevices.com)

Made a tiny Meshtastic solar node with a Seeed nRF today. Video's on my channel!

3 months ago | [YT] | 30

Vivian Van Zyl (LoraMeshDevices.com)

LoRa the Explora doing LoRa things exploring St. Pete... Love the new Meshtastic updated app. LoRa the Explora is a Meshnology N35 with a added GPS.

#meshtastic #lora

4 months ago | [YT] | 17