I am interested in placing a router on a few water towers. Is there a commercial grade solar powered router for sale on the market?
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I don’t think so, I think you just need to cobble something together or buy one of Garth’s units available on Etsy, I purchased two of the $50 units about a year ago and they’re actually my favorite. He’s got some on there that are in rugged cases I believe, in my opinion he deserves every penny you send his way because he’s very involved with this project.
Also try the meshtastic “discord” group that’s where everybody hangs out now
Nothing commercial but the closest you’ll find without having to piece it together yourself would be @KeithMon 's solar unit he sells on Etsy. @garth 's would be great for mobile/field nodes maybe but the panel on that is going to be limited and might not be the best option for a fixed position solar unit. I second @tinkberbot 's comment about your dollars being well worth it when it comes to either of these folks. We have a dedicated solar-power channel in discord too fyi.
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another commercial option would be this:
rak device, gps, accelerometer housing, solar.
just needs firmware, antennas and battery.
This is what i am using with Garth’s $50 radio, it’s stayed powered during all weather here in the midwest (current temps have dropped to -15 :() All stored in a cheap waterproof container.
Meshtastic solar
$25 5W Solar Panel for Wireless Outdoor Security Camera Compatible with Rechargeable Battery Powered Surveillance Cam, Continuous Solar Power for Camera, Not Compatible with Arlo Ring Blink Camera https://a.co/d/5WV7XBw
$45 Voltaic Systems V25 6,400mAh USB Always On Battery Backup Power Bank for iPhone, iPad, Samsung Galaxy, Android, and HTC Devices (Gray) https://a.co/d/iJ2Xpqk
$9 Ultra-Large Capacity Outdoor Waterproof Airtight Survival Storage Case Container Fishing Carry Box (Brown, L?8.2x4.3x2in?) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09G6KTDKH/ref=cm_sw_r_apanp_QYN57dpmNhOxg
$50 Meshtastic LORA Communicator Powered Base Station
Have pics if interested
Wow! That is really cool & a very fair price!
Please post pics! I already have a Voltaic V50 and the Voltaic matching solar panel for it but mine is the 10watt, I wonder if that is too much charge and will cause problems with the V50 Battery pack in subzero temperatures?
Do you have a link to Garth’s $50 radio?
Sold out - but ask if more coming, they often sell out
You will have to verify the spec range, but the voltaic packs as i recall were pretty forgiving due to the nature of solar and 10 watts does not seem too high.
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I have two of these radios laying around seems like the same as the one Garth is selling?
I reached out to Voltaic about their batteries and they have sub-zero protection built in :
Hi Dan,
Our batteries have integrated temperature protections. See the specification for the V50 below.
Under temperature protections : 0℃ Input Cutoff, -15℃ Output Cutoff.
This means the battery will stop receiving a charge from the panel at 0C and stop outputting at -15C. The battery will automatically resume input/output when the temperatures rise back above their respective thresholds as described.
Let me know if there are any other questions.
Regards,
Martin
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