Offline Mesh Network for Unhoused Communication

Using Bluetooth mesh technology, any phone with MeshAid can send, store, and forward urgent messages like medical help across a city, hopping device to device until it reaches the right people.

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Inspiration

In urban areas like San Jose, unhoused individuals often face significant communication barriers due to limited access to mobile data, Wi-Fi, or consistent power sources. This lack of connectivity can hinder their ability to access essential services, emergency assistance, and community support.

What it does

Our solution is a mobile application that enables peer-to-peer messaging through a Bluetooth-based mesh network. Users can send and receive messages without the need for internet access or cellular data. The mesh network allows messages to hop between devices, ensuring that communication can occur even when direct connections are not possible. This system is particularly useful in scenarios where traditional communication methods are unavailable or unreliable.

How we built it

Flutter Frontend: We utilized Flutter to create a cross-platform mobile application, but ended up prototyping on Android ​devices

Bluetooth Mesh Networking: By leveraging the flutter_blue_plus package, we implemented Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) capabilities to establish a mesh network among devices.​

Permission Handling: The permission_handler package was integrated to manage runtime permissions required for Bluetooth and location services.​

User Interface: The app features a simple and intuitive UI, allowing users to easily compose messages, view message history, and manage connections.​

Offline Functionality: All features are designed to work without internet connectivity, ensuring accessibility in various environments

Challenges we ran into

Bluetooth Permissions: Managing Bluetooth permissions across different Android versions proved complex, requiring careful handling to ensure seamless user experience.​ Specifically, the removal of the V1 Android embedding in Flutter 3.29 has affected many plugins that haven't yet migrated to the new V2 embedding.

Mesh Network Stability: Ensuring reliable message delivery in a dynamic mesh network, where devices frequently join and leave, was a significant technical hurdle.​

Hardware Limitations: Some older devices exhibited limited BLE capabilities, affecting their participation in the mesh network.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

What we learned

Importance of Offline Solutions: Offline communication tools are vital for communities with limited access to traditional networks.

Technical Complexity of Mesh Networks: Implementing a stable and efficient mesh network requires careful consideration of device capabilities and network dynamics.

What's next for Offline Mesh Network for Unhoused Communication

Enhanced Features: Incorporate functionalities such as group messaging, location sharing, and emergency alerts.​

Open Source Release: After confirming the success of the prototype, to make the app more accessible and publish the project's source code to encourage community contributions and broader adoption.​

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