Urbana, Illinois, Now a goTenna Mesh Ambassador City!

[MikeL]

I was fiddling around with Shout yesterday and tried a test Shout. Then I got distracted or missed the notification of a reply to it. They were asking how to get in touch other than via Shout. If you already have a goTenna Mesh and are in Urbana, try me at my UID, 92290810565183

We installed a stationary node in the south end of the mesh. There is another (yub3piqr3v) indicated as being about 3 blocks away on Cottage Grove nearby, but it seems to come and go and was recently down. We needed a steadier connection down there and installed UMESH 6 extending coverage almost to Florida along Philo Road. Reception is good at the node, but its spread into the surroundings a bit less than anticipated given its favorable location. We are still looking for favorably located hosts who are within 1/2 mile or so of existing nodes to help increase the utility and reliability of getting a good signal. Text me if you’re interested in getting involved or want to know more about building mesh in Urbana and Champaign.

[anon62894636]

Should we start a “missed connections” thread? I think YES!

[MikeL]

@anon62894636

Should we start a “missed connections” thread? I think YES!

Might be a good idea anyway, but I eventually tracked this mystery shout to our juggling pair/unpair to get my wife a good unit. Always good to not leave loose ends, but not always possible.

Now that’s solved, I’ll explain a little why it’s been so quiet on the UMESH front. We were involved in the Beta testing, so really haven’t bee able to speak about the latest happenings over the last 6 weeks or so. I want to thank BL and ML for helping me on this project. Their astute observations and analytical skills were essential to digging out some important issues and with verifying performance in many areas.

While we won’t go into the specifics of testing, I’m happy to discuss how the new features and improvements found in Mesh 5.0 will improve your mesh experience here at UMESH and wherever goTenna Mesh can be found.

Right now, I’m going to do some housekeeping and provide some basic info on changes coming to UMESH.

If in doubt about the usefulness of mesh, going to 6 hops should put those mostly to rest. The extra hops make rooftop relays usefully act as antennas, putting your signal up where you can reach out much further and others can reach you. it also provides another relay to “thicken” the mesh and provide even more chances to get the range you need. A similar relay set-up on your vehicle makes this mobile. While it will be rolled into the goTenna Plus premium mesh enhancement subscription feature after the next firmware update occurs, the extra hops add real value, give your signals better range, and enhance the reliability of reception. Well worth the few cents a day it will cost, but give it a try for free by upgrading your firmware to 5.0 right now.

Do you need 6 hops to use UMESH? No, but you typically won’t be able to utilize UMESH fully without the extra hops. The current configuration of the coverage area arcs along Yankee Ridge from Crystal Lake Park southwest to the north edge of the Meijers parking lot. This is similar to the May 15 coverage map above, but enhanced by an additional stationary node near the south end that is several block east fro the unaffiliated node on that map. The longest axis along it is about 3 miles and we’ve sent messages with 5.0 almost that distance. Interestingly, the number of hops required for 3 messages took anywhere from 4 nodes to just 2 nodes. Having an extra hop or two is a lot better than coming up short. All 3 messages were delivered with the extra hops, while you would only have received one if only the old standard 3 hops was available.

When the build out is finished, the 6 hops might be needed to go long distances, depending on how well-located our nodes will be. But you can definitely increase performance by upgrading to 5.0.

Will older versions continue to work with 5.0? Will they work on the updated UMESH network? Yes, as far as we can determine, older versions will operate with newer, they just won’t have the same capabilities. We will begin updating the firmware in the stationary nodes in about a week and hope to complete it soon after. The system has been running the Beta version of 5.0. for about 6 weeks now, so if it’s been working for you here in Urbana, that will continue. As far as we can tell, things will interoperate OK for right now.

To get 5.0, these are the new system requirements:

iOS (9.0 & above) or Android device (4.3 & above)

Bluetooth-LE (a.k.a. BLE, Bluetooth Smart or Bluetooth 4.0)

That’s all for now. Glad to answer questions either here or via my goTenna GUID number listed earlier.

[MikeL]

Here’s the updated map of UMESH service coverage. It is approximate and reception inside the mesh zone is generally good but not absolute. Try moving a few feet if transmission or reception isn’t good.

All UMESH relays except UMESH 5 are currently running on the Beta 5.0 firmware, version 1.1.3. UMESH 5 is on the legacy firmware still. All will be ungraded to Aspen Grove 5.0, ver. 1.1.8 in the next week or so. Generally, for now things operate and the hop limits apply according to what version of firmware are on the devices of the sender and receiver. Future updates could change that. Stay tuned to this space for the latest info on UMESH.

If you already have a goTenna Mesh, I can be reached via my UID, 92290810565183.

[anon62894636]

I’m amazed and so excited!

[MikeL]

It’s been longer than I had hoped, but finally have got some things going again that were a bit stymied while my iP5 test phone was down. Thanks to @Virginia for helping me with that! Now I’ve mangled my way into GoogleMaps to make updates easier and everything more useful. This will be at least an image, but I’m working on making it interactive down the road to add more info while keeping it uncluttered. We shall see.

This is based on some quick field measurements over the last couple of days from the Meshmobile. It tends to send and receives quite well because of all the nice metal roof around the node up top. You can generally get a good signal and confirmed messages inside the boundary if you move around some, if at first you don’t succeed. With 6 hops now available, it’s generally possible to reach any point in the service area from any other point in it.

The south of Florida area has some spotty service and we’re working on that.

And if you’ve tried contacting me lately at my GUID it’s been down b/c of the previously mentioned issues the last couple of weeks. However, drop me a text now, even if just to say hi, at 9229 0810 5651 83 and I will get back to you.

EDIT: Here is a live html version of the map. In the lower left corner of this version there is a small bit of satellite meager that will change the map to the sat-eye viewI’ll be adding more data on node status, signal footprint, etc, plus you can zoom in on the terrain level detail:
Interactive UMESH Network GoogleMap

This is the sat view version directly. If you click the lower left map icon, it takes you back to the map version:
UMESH in Satview

Currently, with six nodes, the area covered is about 3.52 sq miles.

You can also text me at my GUID if you are interested in participating and want to host a node. We particularly need 3 or 4 people to host anywhere along the entire Lincoln Ave corridor, including north of University Ave, to extend service to northwest Urbana and to the campus area as the next step in extending mesh service to as many potential users as possible as soon as possible. If you’re elsewhere around the service area or even in the service area, we’d like to hear from you, too, as we intend to extend outward at every opportunity as well as thickening the mesh to build capacity and reliability. This eventually includes Champaign, but also the bike/rail trail to St. Joseph. If you live outside C-U, it is so easy to cover and entire town like St. Joseph with mesh service with just two or three nodes.

If you want to just start using the mesh, we’ve got a way to help build the mesh and save 20%. Order though the site here and use the code GOMESH, get 20% off, and goTenna will send us more goTenna Meshes to put up as stationary nodes around UMESH.

goTenna Mesh will be available watching for texts and relaying (via the Meshmobile) at University of Illinois Fighting Illini football home games this fall, starting with Kent State on Sept. 1. I work the parking crew and will have my device at the above GUID with me, as well as the Meshmobile parked in a strategic location. In case of emergency, always call 911 first at the game, but for other assistance, I’ll see what I can do with advice or directions, etc. There are a LOT of goTenna Mesh users in Chicago now, so if you’re coming down for the game, bring it along and use it to keep in touch. I’ll have more on this as it develops.

[MikeL]

I think the maps links above have updated with this info if others can see them. But here is a screen shot of the latest version of the UMESH map, which show the two areas we are most interested in finding new node hosts to expand the mesh further across Urbana.

We’re also celebrating Urbana being one of the first two locales in goTenna Mesh’s Ambassador Program. The website went live this afternoon and you can keep up with things here or there: https://www.gotenna.com/blogs/ambassador-program/mike-urbana-il

First thing to note here beyond the excitement around the house is that the discount code to use to help support the mesh in Urbana (and beyond) has changed. For 20% off your order through the website here, use the AMBASSADOR_URBANA20 code at checkout. This will also provide credit to put up additional nodes to further expand the mesh network. Help yourself and help others mesh.

I will be checking in but very busy over the next day or so. You can reach me through this website’s direct messaging feature or on UMESH via GUID 9229 0810 5651 83.

[MikeL]

The Ambassador Urbana project was the subject of an introductory article by Ben Parisi in goTenna’s magazine of decentralization, In the Mesh: goTenna Ambassador Meshing An Entire City

I enjoyed my conversation with Ben, who did a great job of showing how our sometimes boring community fosters technical innovation and cutting edge technology. Interested in hosting a node? Just let me know and you can help pioneer the most concrete challenge yet to those who would destroy net neutrality in order to make a quick buck at the expense of the public commons.

[MikeL]

It was a very busy first official week as the Urbana Neighborhood Ambassador of Mesh. After the Urbana website went live last Friday, the local 2600 chapter held its monthly meeting in the seating area around Stango Cuisine, our local Zambian restaurant, yum! Got to update everyone on UMESH happaneings during the first part of the meeting. Then we moved over to one of several places where 2600 will be using to make the presentation part of future meetings, the Collider CoLab on the second floor at 123 W. Main, an office sharing community designed to foster startups. Nice place. I will present there on the status of the UMESH project at next month’s meeting, Friday, October 5. The meeting starts at Lincoln Square at around 5:30pm and shifts to the Main St. venue sometime before 7pm. I will get the Powerpoint posted somewhere once we’re done and link to it here.

Last Saturday was a long day at football parking. I guard a barricade to allow University employees and contractors access to their work sites when the fields around them are used for game day parking, so I monitor a parking staff channel that I only rarely need to transmit on. I also monitor a number of other public safety channels so that we have situational awareness and can facilitate any access needed at my gate for emergency services. Monitoring the mesh is just a new way to help with this, as I could potentially be the first to get wind of an emergency via either the Shout or Emergency Shout features even though guests are advised to dial 911 in case of emergency as even phones without current service plans are able to do.

Another aspect of the job is answering guest questions and the mesh makes that possible even if I’m not face to face. Now that I have the FireFly BigStick available, a wider area can be monitored than before. While it’s an entirely passive activity, like how it operates oin the other devices that are part of UMESH, the relays on the truck roof and the BigStick automatically relay messages between goTenna Mesh users who happen to need an extra hop.

Sunday was a day of recovery after the 13-hour day before. Ben Parisi of In the Mesh magazine and I made arrangements to do an interview so he could create an article that looked into the prehistory of UMESH and how I got interested in this project. Ben works quickly, we did the interview on Monday and by Tuesday evening it was live on the web as goTenna Ambassador Meshing An Entire City .

I spent part of Tuesday designing, prototyping, and gathering parts to build what became the FireFly BigStick and painted the tube for the bumper mount. After a parts run or two, on Wednesday I finished construction of the Big Stick and took pics to add it to the Firefly thread where it appears here.

I also constructed a table sign with the QR code “mesh here” sticker to use when I’m tabling or otherwise presenting to the public to provide brand identity recognition.

Wednesday evening, I visited the UCIMC Makerspace to finally meet a new MS/2600 colleague. This Makerspace is located in the basement of the IMC under the massive cut stone steps on the west side of the building. While chatting together about potential synergies between the UMESH project and various Makerspace initiatives. I decided to text home to let Maiko know I would run a little later, he remarked that cellphones almost always failed to get a signal down there. I felt pretty confident that I’d make it out and I quickly got confirmation the text made it home and Maiko responded using 2 nodes. Then several of my responses connected using only a single node, so my device must’ve been hitting the IMC’s rooftop node, UMESH 4, then jumping straight to Maiko’s unit. We agreed that we’d be talking further and the impressive performance of the goTenna Mesh certainly created a positive vibe for UMESH viability as an alternative means of communication.

Thursday I posted up the Firefly BigStick build. Here’s another pic.

I then started drafting a UMESH press release on the Ambassador City project. In late afternoon I attended the monthly CU Hacks and Snacks mingle of tech project leaders and entrepreneurs. Beginning in October, the event was supposed to be moving into the mesh at a new venue in Urbana, but the last schedule I saw still listed it at the Harvest Market location in Champaign on Oct. 11. There’s always a great set of conversations at H&S with people inquiring about what the latest with the mesh is.

On Friday, I finished polishing the press release and sent it to about a half-dozen of the most likely to be interested news outlets. Doing so reminded me again of how shriveled the local news market is now compared to a decade back, yet another marker of how badly net neutrality needs to be maintained. It is difficult to argue we’re getting better news and irrefutable that local news coverage has suffered badly. I’ll keep my eyes open for ways that goTenna Mesh could help change that.

Today, I confirmed the 1st location of the second group of nodes and once materials arrive installation of UMESH 7 is pending already.

Looking ahead, the Football game is Friday this week, so I’ll be free on Saturday morning to set-up a survey/info booth at home to reach out to those headed to and from Urbana’s Farmer’s Market.

[Danielle_Naven]

@MikeL you are keeping quite busy for your first couple of weeks as our local ambassador! Keep up the great work.

[Majestic]

Kinda off but on topic…I’ve applied for the ambassador program for my town. While I know that’s still brewing I have been speaking with friends and neighbors and business owners to see what their thoughts would be of hosting a GTM Relay. So far everyone said they would be interested. The only catch is I am not asking these people for “roof rights” or anything. The ones they would be willing to host would be plugged into AC power and on a second floor window. Now I know this isn’t optimal because if power goes out there goes the relay but I think it’s a good way to prove the concept while I figure out how I am going to make self sustaining relay nodes.

So do all of the nodes have to be self sustaining?

P.S. Thanks for all of your awesome updates!

[MikeL]

@Majestic

The only catch is I am not asking these people for “roof rights” or anything. The ones they would be willing to host would be plugged into AC power and on a second floor window. Now I know this isn’t optimal because if power goes out there goes the relay but I think it’s a good way to prove the concept while I figure out how I am going to make self sustaining relay nodes.

Thing with this is that putting nodes in windows tends to block lots of the signal and ability to receive signals from other nodes. If it can be done safely, you’re much better off on top if things. Using every bit of height that is available is a good strategy for effective mesh. The better you can see 360 degrees of the horizon the better a way to offer multiple hops in the optimal direction for the signals form the node.

So long as the host can do the simple task of rebooting, then electrical gremlins won’t be a pain to keep up with, otherwise you’ll need access to do that. Which is a good reason to get the outdoor rooftop package power right, as it’s even more inconvenient to get to when it’s up there.

So two somewhat conflicting pieces of advice. But if you want to experiment, now’s the time to get something built and up on the roof. Days are getting shorter and getting on the roof will be less inviting. Even more important, the available daylight and sun angle are the biggest challenges to getting a proven power supply verified. If you can make it through the winter low cycle of solar energy at this latitude, you’ll be OK for all year.

I can vouch for the 6W Voltaic and the no-name 8000mAh always-on battery pack as working well through all three season. Going to check off the rest between now and February. I’m pretty confident it will not need mid-winter attention, but I want to see it for myself. We’re at 40N here and New Jersey is basically all below 40N, so anything that works here inn these terms will work a little better in New Jersey.

@Majestic

So do all of the nodes have to be self sustaining?

No, but 5 out of 6 are. The home node is on a 10’ microUSB cord to a wall wart in the attic. I can plug in a charged battery pack for it from inside the attic if need be in an emergency, but plan on a solar conversion down the road.,

[MikeL]

Things were a little slower in the last ten days or so than in the first week of the Ambassador program here in Urbana. This was in part due to other pressing business in life – a couple of out of town dr’s appts and two very long days of work. Here’s the Big Stick in action.

I do see the occasional blinking LEDs indicating there’s traffic around, but so far I haven’t drawn any response to my few Shouts of “Test Message Go Illini!” – if you need info about parking, the game or more generally about the University or the community, Shout back and I will try to help. It’s pretty quiet in the neighborhood…

For those looking for a game day relay, the location is at the north end of the game day parking on the south side of St. Mary’s Road and within sight of the Lot 31 RV parking lot. Can’t see the stadium due to the Blue Waters supercomputer building in the way. In an emergency, dial 911 first, but I can pass along info to management at the Command Post via my radio.

I’d planned to table to pass out the inspirational info cards goTenna printed up with the 20% discount code AMBASSADOR_URBANA20 at home at UMESH 1 on East Green Street during the Saturday morning Urbana Farmer’s Market, but got the opportunity to work the stadium barricade detail on Kirby Ave. I will be tabling here on East Green (at Anderson) early Saturday morning Sept. 29 until around 9am and during most Saturdays of October except Oct. 13 when I will work parking at the Purdue game.

Another upcoming event is a week away when I will present on the current status of UMESH at the local 2600 group’s monthly meeting on Friday, Oct. 5. It begins at the food court in Lincoln Square Village Mall in front of Stango Cuisine around 5pm, then moves to the Collider CoLab at 123 E. Main, Suite 220, around 7pm for the UMESH presentation. You can pick up cards with the discount info from me at either location. I’m also lining up additional presentations with audience Q&A in the future, so watch this space or ask a question right here if you’d like to know more.

We’ll also be putting up the first node on the expansion from the original UMESH network in the next few days. I’m building it right now, then there will be a few days of testing before it goes online in southcentral Urbana. I’ll update the node maps as soon as it goes live.

Speaking of being online, we were finally able to schedule maintenance on the recently iffy UMESH 6 in southeast Urbana. It should back online full-time by noon Friday, Sept. 28. I apologize for the inconvenience, but also remind anyone near the currently active mesh in Urbana that it’s very easy to put up your own relay node if you need service. I’d be happy to offer advice on doing so, just contact me here or via my previously noted GUIDs above in this thread.

There are already a few people operating on the mesh in the area of the Twin Cities. Please feel welcome to join the discussion here with a story, experience or question – on or about the mesh.

[MikeL]

UMESH 6 got its upgrade to 5.0 firmware this morning and the south end of UMESH is now in pretty good shape. I will get out to verify current coverage over the next few days and adjust the coverage area on the UMESH map if needed.

The UMESH 6 node host indicated that there was now a solid line of leafed out trees to the north that she thought might affect signals since she was last up there. It did seem to do that as we had trouble getting confirmations back at first and eventually the record long set of hops, to the max of six using 5 nodes to deliver the message back to my place in the north end of the coverage area. In fact, when I got home and checked, about half of the unconfirmed messages had gone through.

I’ll get out to check the service area in the next couple of days and may revise the map once that’s done, plus I have a node install for UMESH 7 coming up.

[MikeL]

Sitting at the table at UMESH 1 with my helper, Wally.

In a preliminary survey of the coverage area with UMESH 6 back online, found we had coverage as far south as Curtis Road, ~3 miles from home. It was a little iffy and confirmations were scarce, but on checking the test receiver found we did get through, including another epic 6 hop, 5 node max distance message.

[danielagotenna]

Awesome setup! Is this in an area with a lot of foot traffic? What has the response been so far?

[MikeL]

Hi Daniela,
Thanks! Here’s what we sit next to at the table, our petite plaza with our Nuzbox.

I only had a couple of hours this morning as I had another engagement at 10am and foot traffic on a cool, cloudy day was very slow. Used to be that people were up and moving around that early, but not today. Might mean I can sleep in on Sat’s, but will try starting at 7am again next week and will be able to stay until out late morning (the downtown Farmer’s Market closes at noon) so looking for better results if the weather cooperates.

We’re just four blocks from Lincoln Square Mall, where the market is held and the street runs right smack into the mall, so we do get foot traffic when the weather is more inviting.

I also have another location I can use (I need to ask this week when I drop off some cards there) that is at the north mall entrance, the old downtown Post Office, which is now the IMC (my current avatar was taken in the lobby when I was giving a tour one time.) It has a great set of steps and lots of foot traffic due to being right next to the downtown bus transfer point. I can do it any day of the week and be assured of traffic there. The IMC hosts UMESH 4, our best located node, too, as well as one of the local (and the oldest) Makerspaces.

A long lens view of UMESH4 @ ~35’ AGL.

[MikeL]

It was a very full weekend and lots of it was devoted to the mesh. UMESH 6 was fixed on Friday and today UMESH 7 went on the air. Then I spent much of Sunday afternoon surveying the changes, making notes and compiling a new coverage area map.

Here’s a link to the live interactive version of the map:
Interactive UMESH Network GoogleMap

Due to several factors, this is the first time since early June when all nodes were fully available. The yellow-bounded service area now encompasses about 5.21 square miles.

One important takeaway that became apparent was the problem of vegetation degrading the signal path to the south. When the nodehost climbed up to the peak of her roof to check UMESH 6 out she noted a broad swath of vegetation had leafed out partially blocking the main path north to UMESH 3 and, to a lesser degree, the more distant UMESH 5. And we did have more trouble in getting messages through this otherwise reliable path, with confirmations being particularly hard to come by on this long path.

Setting up UMESH 7 today underscored the point. Its signal improved east/west connectivity, but it too suffers from being a little too far south with the leaves out. Back in early May, I was able to send messages home from inside the location of UMESH 7 in 5 hops. We got through in 4 hops this afternoon after a couple of tries. One tip to remember with the firmware update is that starting with the first message along the path home and back required of a confirmation is that the system is learning and optimizing the path. Give it another chance and resend it and it will sometimes go through and return with the confirmation once it’s optimized and needs fewer hops.

The leaf problem will self-correct in the next few weeks. Longer term, we need to get a couple more relay nodes located along Florida Ave between the two southernmost relays and the rest.

UMESH 7 significantly improved service to around Lincoln Ave. I was able to send a message (unconfirmed but got through) from Japan House parking. The towers of Florida Avenue (FAR) undergrad housing should be able to get a good signal on the east side upper floors. With the cooperation of others on the west side, an east side side to west side pair of nodes could cover much of the south campus with a good signal. With the basic coverage of UMESH, the examples of FAR and along Florida Avenue are signs there’s lot of opportunities for self-help now available where people can piggyback onto top of the basic coverage and take advantage of it to add functionality on their own initiative.

Back toward the east, Orchard Downs is student family housing, plus has a branch of the UI archives where I also got through from. Continuing south, the signal reaches the east side of most of the housing, so people on student budgets but with family needs night consider using goTenna Mesh to serve family comm needs more economically than full-on cell service would.

Coverage extends down to almost to Race & Windsor, then angles south toward Curtis Road where it turns to angle northeast eventually covering large parts of Stone Creek. From there it angles north and the west toward a long curving arc that ends up heading straight south along Lincoln Avenue back to the starting point. Total area of the coverage is now about 5.21 square miles.

[MikeL]

UPDATED!
It’s been far too long since an update, a lot going on but lots unsettled that I thought would be along the way. Due to a variety of factors beyond everyone’s control, several presentations I was prepared to give on the progress with UMESH so far ended up postponed until the first week of November, so we’ll start with a schedule of those. All are free. Each will rely on the same basic Powerpoint so no one will miss any vital points, but each will be targeted to appeal to the needs of somewhat different audiences who will find the mesh is useful for their needs.

Upcoming UMESH Presentations in Urbana

UPDATED
Champaign Urbana 2600
Friday, November 2,
Lincoln Square Village Mall
MEET in the Food Court for lots of interesting conversation and informal presentations, 5pm to 6:45pm
Presentation Time 7pm
PRESENTATION occurs after the meeting a couple of blocks away to,
Schnucks Supermarket Community Room, 200 N. Vine St (up front by the checkout lines)
Hungry? Schnucks has a wide variety of ready-to-go food available on site
for directions, etc:
http://cu2600.org/about.html#where
and
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/40.1211392,-88.1967104/Schnucks+Urbana+IL/@40.1178481,-88.2070744,15.61z/data=!4m9!4m8!1m1!4e1!1m5!1m1!1s0x880cd79e54b753bf:0xef156d1e33fb7905!2m2!1d-88.2033335!2d40.1140029
This meeting starts rather informally around 5pm and runs until 6:45pm at the Lincoln Square Village Mall Food Court. We will then briefly adjourn for a move a couple of blocks away to a more presentation-friendly space in Schnucks Community Room nearby in downtown Urbana at 200 N. Vine St where I will make the presentation and do Q&A. This is a diverse group for the computer and personal security-interested, including many programmers, other tech workers, radio-heads, and the oddballs like me. I’ve been meeting with these great folks for months now, so these security-sensitive veterans of the keyboard may have the most incisive questions of any of these three presentations. Come by and watch me sweat out this DEFCON-quality Q&A. At the Food Court there is great food (including many Zambian specialties) available hot and ready in minutes from Stango Cuisine. When we move to Schnucks, it’s deli and other dept’s offer a delicious variety of ready-to-eat foods.

UPDATED!
Independent Media Center
Wednesday, November 7
202 S. Broadway
7:30-8:30 pm
“Mesh Networking for Activists”
The IMC hosts UMESH 4 on its roof, our best located and greatest range node. This presentation will focus on how mesh networking is one of the few concrete responses to the problem of the attacks on the principle of net neutrality; how we’re building a cooperative mesh network in Urbana that is free to use; how useful mesh networking can be during mass mobilizations like marches and rallies; and explain how mesh networking can support a variety of organizing and human service goals. The IMC has supported UMESH and this is a way for its members to learn more about the project.
UPDATE! [thanks Brian!]
The Facebook page for this event is here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/249989345685424/
More about the IMC:
https://www.ucimc.org/

Champaign/Urbana Hackers & Founders Presents Hacks & Snacks
“Connect with UMESH” - a Progress Report on Urbana’s “Ambassador City” Wireless Mesh Network
401 N. Broadway
5:30-7:30pm
This group is similar to CU2600 in that it is tech-oriented, but those who attend tend to have a more diverse range of employment, ranging from a still significant contingent of programmers to those with more entrepreneurial interests including investing in local tech start-ups. Despite most of these projects including a large dose of internet and/or a mobile/cellular component, this group has been deeply interested in the UMESH project, which involves neither one directly. Similarly, with no apparent way to monetize mesh networks and transactions, others find it fascinating I’m doing this project as a unpaid volunteer. Conversations are always fascinating and did I mention the food? It’s amazing free samples of delicious stuff. The Meetup signup page: https://www.meetup.com/CUHackersFounders/events/tzsmtpyxpblb/
The current venue website, Broadway Food Hall, much-recommended for fantastic food: https://broadwayfoodhall.com/

I hope those who want to know more about UMESH and how goTenna Mesh makes it work can find a meeting that they can make. Each is free and I welcome questions about UMESH, goTenna Mesh more generally, and most of all that most rewarding of all questions to any organizer, “How can I get involved?”

If you have any questions about the meetings, please ask here or send a DM. If you’d like me to present to your group, just ask, I’d be glad to tailor a presentation for your audience’s interests.

Remember, if you want to know more about what’s happening in the Urbana Ambassador City Project, check the handy webpage located just next door ----> https://www.gotenna.com/blogs/ambassador-program/mike-urbana-il

I’ll update this in the next few days, as well as catch up on a few other developments.

[anon62894636]

Nice work Mike! I can’t wait to hear about how these sessions go!