Why I'm running FreeTAKServer on a Raspberry Pi?

[@pewpewkachew4735]

loves this guys videos. dumbs it down enough to have lay people get into it but technical enough to help actually get things done.

[@Blizzarduss]

Thank you dude, keep the vids coming, learning so much unsaid knowhows on every vid yet.!

[@gridbasedotnet]

Awesome work

[@abdielortiz316]

Awesome!!!…what kind of Pi distro you running in your Raspberry pi4?

[@chaoeric9362]

Good Job!

[@dwudcuqoyl1465]

Why did you end up using Ubuntu with gui? I mean if the purpos is to consrve battery power ubuntu server would probably serve( no pun intended) you best( also having a fan is for sure a must as failing to do so will cause throataling)

[@Kaotix_music]

So I’ve been diving deep down the rabbit hole of ATAK. I have an FTS Server running a VM on my desktop. I thought about also using a RaPi for the server but the more and more I think about it, the more I’m trying to understand…why? So it’s portable? Well if it’s portable, how do you connect to it? How will other Tak users connect? This is what confuses me on this concept? Wouldn’t it just be better to have all your TAK users forward deployed to be using a mesh network rather than try to be in range of a small RaPI? I’m confused of this concept? Unless your main focus was just to have a small device like you said “plug it in and forget about it” to be “the server”. Would like if you could go into more detail about this. I’m trying to find more “off grid” ways of using ATAK and I’m thinking about ditching a server all together and going completely mesh network

[@brooklyngeek9002]

"Wouldn’t it just be better to have all your TAK users forward deployed to be using a mesh network rather than try to be in range of a small RaPI?" Without the RaPi wouldnt someone in the group still need to have access to internet so it can connect to the server? I just started looking into meshtastic, which led me to ATAK yesterday, but it seems like that's the answer. As someone who camps on an area with no cell reception/phone access/internet, having a way to talk to each other or track kids that go off for a small hike helps.

[@Kaotix_music]

@@brooklyngeek9002 ahhhhh but see! THis is why i use....meshtastic with ATAK. I have the full data bandwidth of my cell provider when i have service (or if cell service infrustructure is still up) and i have TTGO LoRa boards for all the devices in my group to bluetooth to our phones to go off grid. But I guess if we all used RaPis as "access points" for a mesh network....maybe we increase our bandwidth by doing so? and this Allows us to use all the features still? Hmmmmmmm now you got me thinking...

[@drumunkey007]

Ad hoc mesh radios and/or use in conjunction with a 3G/4G/5G cellular modem hat for the pi if it needs to talk outside that local mesh net

[@ImperiumLibertas]

@@Kaotix_music One major problem of meshtastic is it used the device HWID specifically the ESP32 module to identify itself on the network. That means you cant use one device to provides mesh access to several devices at once. This is stupid to me since it makes sense having several people use one meshtastic device as an access point would massively increase the applicability of mesh networks all together. Apparently it's baked into every layer of their protocol and would require a major overhaul which the meshtastic maintainers have stated is outside of the projects scope (dumb). Ideally in the next couple years someone will write a firmware for meshtastic style devices that allows multiple simultaneous clients per device because this is not a hardware limitation. Imagine spreading a dozen of these throughout a neighborhood after a tornado or major event allowing families to communicate with each other from across town. Or a team of search and rescuers now only need a few for a squad since they'll be able to share a connection. It's idiotic to me that meshtastic limits their scope to IoT device applications but I digress.

[@Kaotix_music]

@@drumunkey007but how would an ad-Hoc radio benefit from a RaPi server? Do you mean turning the RaPI INTO an Ad-Hoc radio? Who’s even using Ad-Hoc radios? The only MANET radios I know of are the MPU5. Either way, it still needs to be connected to a grid. Same with 3G/4G/LTE it needs to be on the grid. I wouldn’t need it to be portable. I can just plug it into my modem at home and leave it. I think it being portable is cool if you have to move around and physically have the server with you to set up in a different location but why would you be using it in your truck? What purpose does that serve? How would you connect to it? How would anyone else in my group connect to it?

[@Ryanseanflaherty]

How are you connecting it to the internet from your truck?

[@da-b6563]

LTE hotspot connection inside the truck to keep all my devices connected to my network

[@themisfrs]

One Quick question , you have tried to connect winTAK to your FreeTAKserver? I try to connect with TCP/8087 and one time connected and after 5 sec disconnected. Any idea?

[@da-b6563]

I don't mess with WinTAK, it only has barely a fraction of the capability a tablet running ATAK has

[@da-b6563]

If still want to get your WinTAK working, your issue has to do with the plugins you installed when you installed WinTAK. Something is going on with the plugins and they're messing with FTS, not sure why but it has been a well known issue in the Duscord community. Uninstall WinTAK and reinstall without any plugins, it'll come right up.

[@themisfrs]

@@da-b6563 Thanks I will try without any plugins!

[@themisfrs]

@@da-b6563 You are right , is chat plugin issue! Thanks again