An incredibly powerful idea I've come to realize when using an Umbrel node, is appifying decentralized systems and node management. Once you have a base Umbrel node up and running, it becomes very easy to then jump onto additional decentralized networks outside of bitcoin. Also simple home network nodes, like PiHole, Home Assistant, and NextCloud that normal people might otherwise not bother with trying to setup and manage, but can improve self sovereignty and the ability to opt out of the surveillance state.
This kind of ease of management would be incredible to extend to wireless mesh networks. I imagine a project that attempts to make it very easy to buy a small kit to mount an antenna and manage with your node, and suddenly you are part of a backup wireless mesh. e.g. https://sudoroom.org/wiki/Mesh. Perhaps there are even ways to financially incentivize routing traffic or offering exit node services using lightning micropayments.
This would be amazing for many reasons, from disaster preparedness, to improving node uptime and redundancy when your internet goes out, and for generally expanding the user base and usefulness of wireless mesh networks.
Relying on centralized internet services is a huge weakness for both self sovereignty and civilizational resiliency.
This is a recurring topic.
Here's a post with some good info.
We need a real decentralized mesh network for censorship resistant Bitcoin usage #49841 https://Twitter.com/bradmillscan/status/1551951097375358976 https://nitter.it/bradmillscan/status/1551951097375358976
reply
No, such a project doesn't exist. One option would be to fork Althea [0] and replace it's shitcoin code with Lightning. Unfortunately, Lightning didn't exist when Hocnet [1] (the predecessor to Althea) started, so the best idea they had was to make yet another shitcoin.
I knew the main guy behind the project [2], but I haven't talked to him in years.
reply
I'd like my ⚡in the fridge or router. These are devices that are well experienced in running 7/24 and certainly routers face a hostile Internet and aren't too often pwned.
A little mining to go with it, and you'd have as distributed a network as you could hope for, a sessile home server node and multiple vagile personal client nodes.
reply
You’re basically describing Helium ;)
reply
Miss me with the altcoin crap.
reply
except helium isn't money
reply
And Helium is only for low-bandwidth applications (e.g.., IoT), and is not a substitute for an ISP or even hotspot purposes.
reply
Except Helium is now also offering 5G and have WiFi on the roadmap.
reply
Thank you for pointing that out. I think at one point in time I had seen that announced, but somehow I was thinking Helium was still just LoRaWAN.
I do see this restriction in their FAQ:
Q.) Can I host a Helium 5G Hotspot if I am residing outside of the U.S.? A.) The Helium 5G network is currently only available in the U.S. Please stay tuned for updates regarding the expansion of the network.
But there is indeed coverage at some level today:
reply
The 5G rollout just started recently. Unfortunately, Nova Labs have to get licensed spectrum in every single individual country they want to roll out 5G radios in. In the US they are using the CBRS band which is open for public use. I don’t think many other countries have anything similar so it’s possible, likely even, that Helium based 5G won’t be available in a large number anytime soon.
That said, the idea is great. Cellular carriers have very little incentive to build out infrastructure in rural areas and licensing spectrum is extremely expensive. So being able to a) rely on a decentralized 5G infrastructure in areas they don’t offer coverage in themselves and b) offload users in high density areas to different frequencies is valuable for everyone, including the telco companies.
Just to be very clear. I don’t buy HNT or speculate in its price, but I do use the network with dozens of LoRa devices and love the idea. There are other LoRa networks such as TTN but the Helium network dwarfs other alternatives in terms of coverage since there’s an incentive to set up hotspots in areas with poor coverage
reply
Anything can be money. Doesn’t mean that it’s anywhere near as good money as Bitcoin is but it has a value and it’s provided as an incentive to route data traffic for IoT devices, similarly to what you describe in your post.
reply
Believing anything can be money explains why you brought up Helium.
reply
Humans have literally used almost everything as money throughout history. If you haven’t read “The Bitcoin Standard” you might want to consider doing so :)
reply
Please look up the words "almost" and "everything"
reply