The Serval Project

Well, that took longer than intended, but we finally have Serval Rhizome store-and-forward traffic able to flow over the intergrated data modem in Codan Envoy HF radios. This means it is now possible to setup islands of Serval Mesh networks that could be on, well, islands, separated by hundreds of kilometres, and be able to provide a text-messaging service that is dependent on no cellular or satellite infrastructure, and without cost for users. This will be useful for those places where cellular coverage is unlikely to get any time soon, and/or where people are unable to afford or access it, even if it is in principle available. Messages take between about 1 and 5 minutes to deliver, depending on message size and a variety of other factors, as the following graph shows. Daily message capacity is between about 850 and 3,500 messages per day -- more than enough to support casual and official communications for isolated village communities of a few hundred people. More info over at the blog: http://servalpaul.blogspot.com/2020/09/chasing-down-last-lbard-hf-tx-queue.html

Next step is to finish the LoRa radio integration, so then we can have long-range HF links, and UHF LoRa or RFD900 links for the shorter distances.

Our hearts go out to all those affected by the recent tradgedy in Indonesia near Anak Krakatau. This is an issue dear to our hears, with our own friends in Vanuatu recently having a narrow escape from the tsunami that was there last recently. There are hundreds of millions of people at risk from these kinds of events, and we need to find ways to provide robust, long-lasting and cost-effective early warning systems so that we can lessen the risk.

Proof-of-concept port of Seval to iOS made first light today. Interoperates with Android version, and connects to Mesh Extenders nicely. https://servalpaul.blogspot.com/2018/11/serval-chat-ios-port-finally-emerges.html

Over the past year or so, we have been quietly working away on a low-cost solution for tsunami and other hazard warning. Today our work was covered in the Australian media:

Scientists develop new tsunami warning system that could help prevent future deaths The new system uses cheap, simple satellite receivers and airhorns to deliver a warning system for $200 instead of $10,000 — if they can get funding for further trials.

A number of nasty bugs that we encountered during testing in Vanuatu have been found and fixed. Outdoor testing with real hardware will hopefully resume at the Uni this week, in preparation for updating the units in Vanuatu and re-testing performance there.

Fixing bugs and structure of LBARD During our trips to Vanuatu last year we identified a number of bugs with LBARD, which have been sitting on the queue to be fixed for a whil...

Just finished visiting our friends at NZ Red Cross to transfer knowledge on how to flash Mesh Extenders in preparation for their eventual use by NZ RC's IT&Telecommunications Emergency Response Unit (IT&T ERU).

Setting up Mesh Extender capability within NZ Red Cross I am briefly in Wellington, NZ, visiting NZ Red Cross on my way to the Global Humanitarian Technology Conference where we have a bunch of pa...