24/7 meshed towns/Dedicated relays

goTenna app 4.1 is here!
Has anyone tried out the new dedicated Relay Mode yet?

Update your app to see how!

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Running to update! Sorry, I have been out of the loop the last few weeks but follow the notices I continue to receive. Did I miss the announcement regarding new Gotenna firmware update? :blush:

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I just checked the Gotenna app and noticed that I already had the 4.01 app installed (fw 0.13.35). I don’t recall updating the app though via app store.

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Yes, my relay on Sunset in Hollywood has been updated but I have not had much chance to relay a signal through it. Setting the unit into relay mode was pretty straightforward.

Rahul other than noticing that I no longer have an issue of my relay competing to be paired when I for some reason am pairing and unpairing several other GoTenna (for firmware updating the families) I was not sure what difference I would see. Can you run us through what the new feature enables?

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@tonybarnhill I purchased that same solar battery from amazon few months back and in my experience it takes at least two days if not a third day in full sunlight for my solar battery to recharge 100%. Are you having the same experience? I think running a longer mini usb cord from battery to your Gotenna tucked away higher out of the sun will keep the unit from heat exposure. You could also hide the gotenna behind the battery.

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Just tried a shout which used to light up my relay but does not now. While I realize the Shout is no longer really being “received” by the relay it was nice to get confirmation the relay was functional.

I am wondering in this new mode how you have any sense the unit is doing anything unless you get far enough away and your 1 to 1 receiver is far enough away to see that the message was relayed through something.

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WHAT’S NEW

  • Sending & receiving messages is better than ever thanks to a brand-new chat screen, improving legibility and including a brand-new meshing animation
  • goTenna Mesh now supports 35+ countries that fall under CE regulations.
  • You can increase coverage in your mesh network by dedicating goTenna Mesh devices as stationary relay nodes (unpaired to a phone). Update the app to learn more about how to activate Relay Mode.
  • Various performance improvements and bug fixes
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@Firqby shouts are currently the easiest way to verify that your relay units are functional.

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@Rahul_Subramany

Hate to say this but Shouts no longer show any indication on my unit in Relay mode.

Check out my video of my attempt

Also while I get all the other features of the new firmware, what I was more specifically asking is what is the gain of Relay Mode vs just an unpaired unit?

Seems to me that at least an unpaired unit can be checked later to see what shouts it may have caught in its buffer while you were away.

At this point, Relay mode is more of a black hole that turns the GoTenna into a semi-decorative conversation item that when powered is a silently passive relay node.

I think those of us putting an $80 investment to use for ourselves and others would at least like to get some sense it is doing some good or at least can be confirmed to still doing its job.

If a relay could be pinged with a certain message and respond to that ping so we know it is functional and in range that would be something.

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@Firqby thanks for bringing this to my attention. It looks like we turned off the LED for shouts when the device is in Relay mode. We will change this via a future FW update.

Relay mode, turns OFF bluetooth to conserve power and assigns a new Random ID to the device.
With a new random ID, you never have to worry about the relay unit receiving and storing messages meant for your phone.

This is a cool idea. We will look into implementing something similar in the future.

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But then there’s no way to ping it and to make sure you can actually see or communicate with the relay node?

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This is why I suggested this. (More details of operation in the link)

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How will you connect the antenna?

-Andy

Maybe I am overlooking something. I’m trying to place one of my Gotenna units in new relay mode. After pressing the power button three times (unpaid unit) the lights continue to flash in pair more. What am I missing? The device in ON and not paired to phone. Thanks

EDIT: Yes I have the new app update installed on phone.
EDIT2: I overlooked after updating the gotenna app via the app store, you have to update the unit also via gotenna app settings/about- there you will see firmware update available for your gotenna device.

I was able to test the new Relay mode.

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I like the LED being off in relay mode. Most of my devices have electrical tape over the LEDs. They are way too bright. Use one in a dark room and you’ll understand.

The LED should not stay on in relay mode. Power up the device…while it is blinking, press the power button 3 times,the LED will remain lit…press 3 more times and it will go out. Confirm it is in relay mode by pressing the power button once. The led will respond with 3 blinks and then go off, confirming that it is in relay mode. It should not turn on unless it is relaying a text.
Hope this helps…Ken

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I just got a 4 pack of gtmesh, and am using one in always on relay mode. I was not able to get it into relay mode until I paired it. I setup this unit using the power button triple push x2. Then I unpaired the relay unit in the sw, brought up the one I will be using for my cell phone and paired that one. Don’t know if that is how you are supposed to do it, but if I turned on a new unit, the triple button pushing did not seem to work out of the box. The updated firmware did not seem to affect the not going into relay mode, the pairing first did.

@firebasecody ‘Relay Mode’ requires FW v0.13.46 or above. Very likely that the unit you tried to place in Relay Mode had a FW version lower than 0.13.46
If your device has the latest FW, you do not have to pair it to a phone to place it in relay mode.

That makes sense. The first thing I did when I paired it was to upgrade the
firmware.

Tony, I’m getting closer to placing some nodes. I was looking at the Voltaic 3.5 watt panel and was wondering how it’s been working.