On a farm the house usually has internet, but out in the lands, the kloofs and the veld there's often no cell signal at all. Two-way radios help, but they're not always monitored, a missed call is gone, and "I'm near the old dam" isn't a position. Meanwhile WhatsApp is how everyone here actually talks.
We build on Meshtastic, a cheap LoRa mesh that relays messages radio to radio until they arrive and knows where every radio is. On top of it we build:
🆘 thinknode-sos: a panic button anyone can use
Firmware that turns an Elecrow ThinkNode M3 into a hold-to-confirm SOS button for farm workers, family and guests. Hold it for 3 seconds: it beeps loudly to confirm, then everyone on the mesh gets an alert with a pin on the map. The alert repeats until it's cancelled, and other SOS radios sound an alarm. No app or know-how needed.
💬 veld-bridge: WhatsApp over the mesh
A box at the house (a NAS or Raspberry Pi) links to your WhatsApp. Read and answer your WhatsApps from a pocket radio in the field, and have SOS alerts land in the WhatsApps and groups you choose, with a map link and location updates. It's handy every day too: farm watch, coordinating work, or getting everyone together for a braai after work.
hold 3 s ─► SOS radio ~~LoRa mesh~~ gateway at the house ─► veld-bridge ─► WhatsApp 📱
Coming next: Signal and Telegram alongside WhatsApp.
⚠️ These are community projects, not certified emergency equipment. They're not affiliated with Meshtastic, WhatsApp or Meta. Test them where you'll use them, and keep other ways to call for help.
Made in South Africa 🇿🇦 · GPL-3.0