Testing of a resilient community-driven communications network of LoRa devices in Wellington

Abstract

Modern communications infrastructure such as mobile base stations, routing centres and servers are highly vulnerable to grid power loss and catastrophic damage that occur during natural disasters. Such failures render critical communications infrastructure inoperable exactly when they are needed. To address this, CRISiSLab has deployed and evaluated a Meshtastic LoRa mesh network across Wellington’s varied terrain as a low-power, infrastructure independent communications solution. Testing demonstrated that while terrain was the primary limiting factor, effective city-scale communications is achievable with strategic device placement and appropriate preset selection. These findings suggest that Meshtastic is viable as an emergency backup communication network.