LoRaMail

Inspiration

Warren was really excited about using hardware for this project, and especially the backpacking applications of Meshtastic-like systems. We decided to use this for a simple No Wrapper project done well, instead of trying to shove AI in a place it doesn't belong.

What it does

Our project allows for sending and receiving email through the Gmail API as long as one is within line of sight of a LoRa device. Ranges often stretch hundreds of miles, allowing for connection in places that remain very difficult to reach (like hundreds of feet and two walls away on Pitt's campus!). Our compression system uses a dictionary of commonly found phrases in emails to get even short strings like emails noticeably smaller.

How we built it

We used Python for because of the Meshtastic CLI, allowing for granular control of our devices and easily available methods for the short time frame of a hackathon.

Challenges we ran into

We ended up going down an eight-hour rabbit hole; we spent the second half of last night relatively sure we wouldn't finish on time. Packet syncing was an awful problem to solve, but our current solution is more than consistent enough to get mail to and from as long as the devices can talk to each other.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We stuck together through an extremely hard night, kept scope tight to create something far more polished, and ended this project far more experienced with sending data in low-bandwidth environments.

What we learned

We learned to deal with hardware frustration, esoteric open-source knowledge, and to never try to port to Android via Android Studio (there are better ways).

What's next for LoRaMail

Optimizing sending over longer distances and making a robust loss-prevention system would both be big wins for LoRaMail.

Built With

• claude
• google
• google-cloud
• google-gmail-oauth
• javascript
• lora
• meshtastic
• python