A Meshtastic-based LoRa Mesh System for Smart Campus Applications: From Solar-Powered Sensing to Containerized Data Management

TL;DR

This paper develops and evaluates a Meshtastic-based LoRa mesh network for smart campus applications, demonstrating robust connectivity and integrated data management using open-source tools.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive, reproducible architecture combining open-source mesh protocols with containerized microservices for smart campus environmental monitoring.

Findings

Achieved a 2.47 km link range in campus conditions

Demonstrated robust mesh connectivity with 62 packets received

Validated the system's effectiveness for real-time environmental data visualization

Abstract

This work presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of a LoRa-based mesh network using the Meshtastic protocol for Smart Campus applications at Universidad Militar Nueva Granada (UMNG). The system integrates heterogeneous hardware nodes including a solar-powered ecological sensing node built around a Raspberry Pi Pico and a Semtech SX1262 transceiver, and mobile trackers based on the Seeed SenseCAP T1000-E managed through a containerized edge gateway running on a Raspberry Pi 4. A Docker Compose microservices stack handles data ingestion via Node-RED, time-series storage in InfluxDB, and real-time visualization through Grafana dashboards. The architecture's performance was evaluated under realistic propagation scenarios at the UMNG Cajic\'a campus, characterizing link quality using Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) and Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) metrics. Experimental results demonstrate robust mesh connectivity across key university facilities, including an extended-range link of approximately 2.47 km linking the campus gateway to a remote station at Mirador La Cumbre (n = 62 packets received, mean RSSI = -110 dBm, mean SNR = +2.75 dB). This architecture demonstrates that open-source mesh protocols combined with containerized microservices offer an autonomous, highly reproducible infrastructure for environmental monitoring and asset tracking, supporting the transition toward data-driven "Smart Campus" ecosystems without reliance on centralized commercial LoRaWAN operators.