UI Updates and Optional WiFi
In the interest of making the device more compact, I have done away with the rotary button at the top of the device, and gone with a completely touchscreen interface. I wasn’t sure how responsive the various development boards would be, considering how much they are already handling (I’m using SAMD21-based boards), but they seem just fine.
In addition to updating the UI significantly, I have added optional WiFi connectivity. By adding WiFi, the ChatterBox can get a message to someone, still without requiring cell coverage or internet, by switching back and forth as necessary between LoRa and WiFi (UDP multicast). Even though WiFi is a supported channel, it still does not use the internet. Message packets never get further than the router of your WiFi network.
Either way, messages are encrypted, signed, and secure in the same manner. In fact, the packets of a message could be split across multiple channels (currently LoRa and WiFi supported), and the recipient would have no problem piecing them back together, no matter what order they arrive in.
The following video shows a short demo of some of the changes:
