It's not a new idea, but it's really a cool project, it just seems difficult to democratize. Problem #1: if users need a custom antenna, it's already a barrier

It's not a new idea, but it's really a cool project, it just seems difficult to democratize. Problem #1: if users need a custom antenna, it's already a barrier. /me dreams about the IEEE people designing standards that would enable smartphones to use mesh networking... I guess a tiny antenna that can be attached to a smartphone could also make it viable. If the antenna is not bigger than the phone, it would certainly be marketed. In my view, mesh radio could possibly compete with traditional ISPs, for certain uses, so this kind of tech might not be funded for obvious reasons.