Solar-powered WisMesh Repeaters extend the range of Meshtastic networks

RAKWireless has launched two solar-powered Meshtastic range extenders/repeaters: the WisMesh Repeater with a larger battery and external solar panel, and the WisMesh Repeater Mini with a more compact design with an integrated solar panel

Meshtastic open-source firmware allows LoRa nodes to be used for off-grid messaging, GPS coordinates sharing, and more. The mesh network relies on nodes to communicate with each other and relay messages to other nodes if needed. However, this does not work reliably when nodes are too far apart or one node goes offline for whatever reason. That’s when Meshtastic repeaters are needed.

WisMesh Repeater / Repeater Mini specifications:

• WisBlock RAK4631 Core Module
  • Wireless SoC – Nordic Semi nRF52840 Cortex-M4F MCU @ 64 MHz with 1MB flash, 256 KB RAM, BLE 5.0, pre-flashed with Meshtastic firmware
  • LoRa transceiver – Semtech SX126x series with support for Meshtastic 8xx and 9xx MHz networks
    • 800 MHz – RU864/ IN865/ EU868
    • 900 MHz – US915/ AU915/ KR920/ AS923
• WisBlock RAK19003 Mini Base Board
  • Slot for WisBlock Core (used by RAK4631)
  • 2x slots for 24-pin WisBlock Sensor Modules
  • USB – USB Type-C debug port
  • Dimensions – 35 x 35 mm
• Antenna
  • WisMesh Blade LoRa antenna
  • 9xx MHz variant: Frequency range: 902–928 MHz VSWR: ≤ 1.5
  • 8xx MHz variant: Frequency range: 863–870 MHz VSWR: ≤ 1.3
• Battery
  • WisMesh Repeater Mini – 3,200 mAh Li-Ion rechargeable battery; IEC 62133-2:2017 certified
  • WisMesh Repeater – 10.8V/5,200 mAh Li-Ion rechargeable battery;
• Dimensions
  • WisMesh Repeater Mini – 150 x 100 x 50 mm with pre-mounted M8 5-pin connector, RP-SMA antenna connector, and built-in solar panel
  • WisMesh Repeater – TBD.
• IP Rating – IP67
• Enclosure material – ABS UL94V-0 (flame-retardant) for the Mini version. Not specified for the larger model.
• Mounting options
  • WisMesh Repeater Mini – Wall or pole mount options
  • WisMesh Repeater – Fixed outdoor setups

The WisMesh Repeater can also be powered by a 12V power adapter (5 to 16V DC input range supported). Most people will likely want to get it with the “Solar Battery Lite with Regular Panel” option, which combines a RAK9154 battery with a 10 W (34 x 27 cm) solar panel. Both models can be configured with the Android or iOS Meshtastic app, the Web client, or Python CLI. You’ll find instructions to get started on the RAKwireless website.

This setup can be reproduced relatively easily with a DIY method using any LoRa node, a battery, a waterproof enclosure, and a USB-C solar panel, but the reason RAKwireless decided to build a commercial version was because of issues with DIY setups discussed on Reddit. People had problems with solar power reliability, battery charging at sub-zero temperatures, waterproofing the enclosure, and not-so-reliable mounting.

The WisMesh Meshtastic Repeaters are supposed to prevent most of these issues and be an improvement over DIY solutions. The default Solar Battery Lite kit is recommended, especially since the company declines all responsibility if the user deploys his/her own solar panel, battery, and charger solution.

The WisMesh Repeater Mini is the most cost-effective solution at $99.00 on AliExpress. The WisMesh Repeater starts at a lower $89.10 price tag without a solar panel and battery kit, and goes to $299 with the recommended Solar Battery Lite kit.

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