2 ms·

Hopefully if/when they make the next generation with the custom silicon instead of being all FPGA based they'll have enough space and power budget for some inte

by nullc 6y ago

Hopefully if/when they make the next generation with the custom silicon instead of being all FPGA based they'll have enough space and power budget for some internal modules. I think it would be pretty interesting to have a Lora radio for participating in networks like meshtastic (https://www.meshtastic.org/ https://www.meshtastic.org/). I get why many people would find cellular interesting, but since it's not possible to use cellular without device level location tracking by the cell network... I think it is less useful. In either case bridges from other networks (such as LTE cellular) to wifi exist and are readily available, including tiny battery powered ones... So the lack of external cellular shouldn't prevent you from using precursor with cellular.

pengaru 6y ago
> In either case bridges from other networks (such as LTE cellular) to wifi exist and are readily available, including tiny battery powered ones... So the lack of external cellular shouldn't prevent you from using precursor with cellular. This does not provide access to native cellular functionality like voice calls or sms/mms messaging. Obviously cellular connected wifi hotspots are an option for data service, I'm not clear why you're presenting that as if it's equivalent.
- nullc 6y ago
  Oh. The omission was my mistake... one I made because I was assuming that offering voice calls isn't particularly credible with the isolation technique used in the device. For SMS/MMS do none of the wifi hotspots offer a similar interface to serial cellular modems?
  - pengaru 6y ago
    > Oh. The omission was my mistake... one I made because I was assuming that offering voice calls isn't particularly credible with the isolation technique used in the device. The isolation technique AIUI is not really any different from what purism does with the librem; hang it off the USB bus, expose power control to the user. But that still provides convenient first-class software integration as a cellular modem when that's functionality the user wishes to access. A wifi hotspot your device uses over wifi which just happens to be reaching the internet via a cellular network has absolutely no software-level integration as a cellular modem providing voice/SMS/MMS services. > For SMS/MMS do none of the wifi hotspots offer a similar interface to serial cellular modems? Not AFAIK, my experience is limited to a ZTE mobile hotspot on at&t prepay, but it's a bog standard wifi hotspot. Sure I can do the sms-over-email dance through the data link, but i could also use voip or skype or whatever over data, that's besides the point. To be useful as a hardened even basic feature phone substitute, it needs to be able to make/receive calls and sms/mms, at most requiring the flick of a switch toggling the cellular modem.

by nullc 6y ago

pengaru 6y ago

> In either case bridges from other networks (such as LTE cellular) to wifi exist and are readily available, including tiny battery powered ones... So the lack of external cellular shouldn't prevent you from using precursor with cellular. This does not provide access to native cellular functionality like voice calls or sms/mms messaging. Obviously cellular connected wifi hotspots are an option for data service, I'm not clear why you're presenting that as if it's equivalent.

nullc 6y ago
Oh. The omission was my mistake... one I made because I was assuming that offering voice calls isn't particularly credible with the isolation technique used in the device. For SMS/MMS do none of the wifi hotspots offer a similar interface to serial cellular modems?
- pengaru 6y ago
  > Oh. The omission was my mistake... one I made because I was assuming that offering voice calls isn't particularly credible with the isolation technique used in the device. The isolation technique AIUI is not really any different from what purism does with the librem; hang it off the USB bus, expose power control to the user. But that still provides convenient first-class software integration as a cellular modem when that's functionality the user wishes to access. A wifi hotspot your device uses over wifi which just happens to be reaching the internet via a cellular network has absolutely no software-level integration as a cellular modem providing voice/SMS/MMS services. > For SMS/MMS do none of the wifi hotspots offer a similar interface to serial cellular modems? Not AFAIK, my experience is limited to a ZTE mobile hotspot on at&t prepay, but it's a bog standard wifi hotspot. Sure I can do the sms-over-email dance through the data link, but i could also use voip or skype or whatever over data, that's besides the point. To be useful as a hardened even basic feature phone substitute, it needs to be able to make/receive calls and sms/mms, at most requiring the flick of a switch toggling the cellular modem.