About DFTZ
Delta Frank Tango Zebra - People Powered Mesh Radio. An experimental off-grid communication platform.
What This Is
DFTZ is a hobby project exploring mesh radio networking for off-grid communication. It uses Meshtastic LoRa radios to create a self-healing mesh network that works without cell towers or internet.
The dashboard you see here connects to a gateway node that bridges mesh traffic to MQTT, storing telemetry in InfluxDB and displaying it via this Next.js application.
Hardware designs are works in progress. Nothing is for sale. This is a personal project shared publicly for anyone interested in similar applications.
The Characters
Each letter represents a character from the NATO phonetic alphabet, reimagined:
Delta
The deep-sea diver. Explores the depths of radio waves.
Frank
The frankfurter in a tuxedo. Always dressed to transmit.
Tango
The dancer. Mesh nodes in perfect sync.
Zebra
Cool shades, handheld radio. Off-grid style.
Technology Stack
Meshtastic
Open-source firmware for LoRa radios. Handles mesh routing, encryption, and device management.
meshtastic.org →MQTT + InfluxDB
Gateway publishes to Mosquitto MQTT broker. Telemetry stored in InfluxDB for time-series queries.
Next.js + PostgreSQL
Web dashboard built with Next.js. User accounts and node metadata stored in PostgreSQL.
Hardware Status
Current hardware is based on off-the-shelf components:
LoRa Radios
- • Heltec V3 boards
- • RAK WisBlock (RAK4631 + RAK19007)
- • LilyGo T-Beam (for GPS)
Enclosures
- • Generic weatherproof boxes
- • 6V solar panels
- • 18650 battery holders
Sensors
- • BsLatch magnetic reed switches
- • I2C temperature/humidity
- • Analog water level probes
Gateway
- • RAK WisBlock with WiFi
- • Meshtastic MQTT module enabled
- • Connected to cloud server
Questions?
This is a personal project. Feel free to explore the dashboard or reach out if you have questions.