Q&A
Do you offer a 1 watt version?
No sorry. There are a few of reasons for this.
1) A 1 watt transmitter does nothing to help you receive better. You may be able to increase your range slightly, but you will still only receive the same as a lower wattage repeater.
2) To remain compliant with FCC regulations for the ISM band, your transmitter cannot legally transmit over 290 milliwatts. This is far less than 1 watt. All FCC accepted LoRa transmitters in the 915 band must adhere to this rule. So the 1 watt "high power" boards are a little bit of a gimmick.
3) Battery life will be significantly less than normal boards. Extra transmit power comes at a cost, and you will notice it when you have a lot of cloudy days in a row.
4) Experienced hams will all tell you the same thing. Antenna, antenna, antenna! If you are going to spend more money, put it into a better antenna. This will help on both transmit and receive and have no impact on battery life.
1) A 1 watt transmitter does nothing to help you receive better. You may be able to increase your range slightly, but you will still only receive the same as a lower wattage repeater.
2) To remain compliant with FCC regulations for the ISM band, your transmitter cannot legally transmit over 290 milliwatts. This is far less than 1 watt. All FCC accepted LoRa transmitters in the 915 band must adhere to this rule. So the 1 watt "high power" boards are a little bit of a gimmick.
3) Battery life will be significantly less than normal boards. Extra transmit power comes at a cost, and you will notice it when you have a lot of cloudy days in a row.
4) Experienced hams will all tell you the same thing. Antenna, antenna, antenna! If you are going to spend more money, put it into a better antenna. This will help on both transmit and receive and have no impact on battery life.
What antennas do you offer?
We only stock one antenna, the ALFA 915. There are numerous antennas on the market suitable for the 915 ISM MHz band. We only stock GENUINE ALFA antennas to make sure you do not get one of the many clones and forgeries out there.
We generally use a different antenna on our own devices. This is a 4 dBi stick type antenna that is very reasonably priced.
We generally use a different antenna on our own devices. This is a 4 dBi stick type antenna that is very reasonably priced.
In our opinion, this antenna performs better than the ALFA 915 and is a really good choice as an alternative to the ALFA. It is only 13 inches tall and mounting is simple. They are usually in stock and are of excellent quality.
This will give you an approximate 2 dBi gain over the ALFA 915.
They are available from ROKLAND here.
This will give you an approximate 2 dBi gain over the ALFA 915.
They are available from ROKLAND here.
How much antenna gain do I need?
The easy answer is to get an antenna with as much gain as you can afford. Remember, any radio is only as good as its antenna.
A few things to keep in mind:
The ALFA 915 is advertised simply as a "gain antenna". This means you will get some benefit from gain over a zero gain (unity gain) antenna. BUT, you will see many antennas out there that look identical to the ALFA advertising 5+ db gain. Don't believe any of them. The ALFA realistically has about a 2 db gain. All the others that claim more are lying to you.
ALWAYS buy you antennas directly from the manufacturer or a trusted, authorized reseller. DON'T buy them from Amazon, eBay, or China. Antenna forgeries and copies are everywhere and are much more common that you would expect. Not only are they built cheaply, they can damage your radio gear.
A few things to keep in mind:
The ALFA 915 is advertised simply as a "gain antenna". This means you will get some benefit from gain over a zero gain (unity gain) antenna. BUT, you will see many antennas out there that look identical to the ALFA advertising 5+ db gain. Don't believe any of them. The ALFA realistically has about a 2 db gain. All the others that claim more are lying to you.
ALWAYS buy you antennas directly from the manufacturer or a trusted, authorized reseller. DON'T buy them from Amazon, eBay, or China. Antenna forgeries and copies are everywhere and are much more common that you would expect. Not only are they built cheaply, they can damage your radio gear.
How long does a battery charge last?
We use a 4400 mAh Lithium Ion battery pack in all our devices. Starting with a charge of approximately 90% you can expect to get up to 14 days before reaching critical discharge levels. In our tests, this occurs when the battery charge level reaches approximately 17%.
The onboard solar charging system generally tries to maintain a charge level of 80% to 95%. The solar panel does not constantly charge the battery which can lead to shorter battery lifetimes. Rather, it charges in smaller increments over the course of the day.
After several cloudy days it may take a day or two to catch back up.
The onboard solar charging system generally tries to maintain a charge level of 80% to 95%. The solar panel does not constantly charge the battery which can lead to shorter battery lifetimes. Rather, it charges in smaller increments over the course of the day.
After several cloudy days it may take a day or two to catch back up.
Do you do custom orders?
We do!
If you want a special color(s) we stock about 25 different color filaments. We try to stay with one particular manufacturer if possible as their quality and consistency is unsurpassed.
There may be an extra charge for custom colors, and they will usually take 2-3 more days to ship.
But, if you want a purple MESHPEATER (or any other color) we can certainly do that.
Hardware modifications and custom mounting systems can also be done, however these can take an extra week to do. Cost would depend on the nature of the customization and the amount of CAD design work we would need to do.
If you want a special color(s) we stock about 25 different color filaments. We try to stay with one particular manufacturer if possible as their quality and consistency is unsurpassed.
There may be an extra charge for custom colors, and they will usually take 2-3 more days to ship.
But, if you want a purple MESHPEATER (or any other color) we can certainly do that.
Hardware modifications and custom mounting systems can also be done, however these can take an extra week to do. Cost would depend on the nature of the customization and the amount of CAD design work we would need to do.
Your prices seem higher than some others. Why?
We don't cut corners! Because MESHPEATERs are frequently installed at remote locations, they MUST meet our standards for durability and dependability. We have repeaters installed at several mountain peak repeater sites, and even one on an island that takes a helicopter to get to. We have been building radio based telemetry devices for many years and know that our devices must work properly all day, every day, without intervention.
There are many steps involved in building a MESHPEATER.
We use only the highest quality (and generally the most expensive) American made 3D filaments for our enclosures and mounting systems. Important factors are the quality of the pigments used, color consistency, filament diameter precision and adhesion.
We only use the highest quality electronic components from reliable manufacturers and purchased only through authorized distributers.
All our fasteners are either 304 Stainless Steel or Black Oxide 304 Stainless Steel.
Threaded sockets all use heat-set solid brass inserts to provide solid, durable mountings.
Every device we sell is thoroughly tested to ensure it is water tight and operating correctly.
There are many steps involved in building a MESHPEATER.
We use only the highest quality (and generally the most expensive) American made 3D filaments for our enclosures and mounting systems. Important factors are the quality of the pigments used, color consistency, filament diameter precision and adhesion.
We only use the highest quality electronic components from reliable manufacturers and purchased only through authorized distributers.
All our fasteners are either 304 Stainless Steel or Black Oxide 304 Stainless Steel.
Threaded sockets all use heat-set solid brass inserts to provide solid, durable mountings.
Every device we sell is thoroughly tested to ensure it is water tight and operating correctly.
Suppliers
We try to source our materials and components from US companies wherever possible. We also source products originally made overseas from authorized US distributers. This ensures our products contain authentic components, not forgeries or copies.
Rokland Tech - We purchase all our antennas and LoRa boards from Rokland. They are a 27 year old company in Florida, USA, and have a long history in the LoRa industry. They also have a store on Amazon.
3DFuel - We purchase the majority of our PCTG filament from 3DFuel. They manufacture all their products in North Dakota, USA. They make some of the finest 3D printing materials we have ever used.
Atomic Filament - We purchase all of our PETG and some of our PCTG filament from Atomic. Atomic has long been our favorite for PETG and has recently begun offering PCTG. They manufacture and distribute their products in Indiana, USA.
Printed Solid (Prusa) - We have been using Prusa 3D printers for close to 10 years. Prusa printers are manufactured in Europe, and Printed Solid is their US outlet located in Delaware, USA. Prusa has a solid reputation for quality and reliability. Unlike many other popular brands, Prusa offers a full line of replacement parts which we keep on hand for those rare instances when something fails.
Rokland Tech - We purchase all our antennas and LoRa boards from Rokland. They are a 27 year old company in Florida, USA, and have a long history in the LoRa industry. They also have a store on Amazon.
3DFuel - We purchase the majority of our PCTG filament from 3DFuel. They manufacture all their products in North Dakota, USA. They make some of the finest 3D printing materials we have ever used.
Atomic Filament - We purchase all of our PETG and some of our PCTG filament from Atomic. Atomic has long been our favorite for PETG and has recently begun offering PCTG. They manufacture and distribute their products in Indiana, USA.
Printed Solid (Prusa) - We have been using Prusa 3D printers for close to 10 years. Prusa printers are manufactured in Europe, and Printed Solid is their US outlet located in Delaware, USA. Prusa has a solid reputation for quality and reliability. Unlike many other popular brands, Prusa offers a full line of replacement parts which we keep on hand for those rare instances when something fails.