High Desert Institute
Cyberpony Express
A free, encrypted, public mesh network based on Meshtastic. It is designed to be a free, open-source, digital postal service for the people.
The Cyberpony Express is a free, encrypted, public mesh network based on Meshtastic. It is designed to be a free, open-source, digital postal service for the people. The idea is to create a network of nodes that can send and receive messages, files, and other data without relying on traditional internet infrastructure.
This project is currently stewarded by the Pathfinders’ Guild, focusing on resilient communications and long-range connectivity between outposts.
Current Projects Include
- Deploying New Nodes - A project to deploy nodes in the wild and test the network. This is what the GoFundMe pays for.
- BBS - A simple, dumb system that works like a phone operator. It can send and receive messages with users, solve the backhaul problem of long-distance messaging between distant parts of the network, enable access to MUDs and chatbots like the Librarian, and provide a framework for extending the functionality of the Cyberpony Express in the future.
- Flying Robots - Low-cost quadcopters, UAVs, rovers, and electric boats coordinated over the mesh to handle tasks like observation, logistics, planting, weeding, and maintenance.
- Meshtastic-LLM - A toolchain for connecting local large language models to the mesh so every outpost can run its own librarian, concierge, or alerting agent without internet access.
Workshops!
2025-03-20 - Meet and Greet!
Text summary of the first workshop.
2025-03-27 - Meshtastic Hardware Strategy and Development
Text summary of the second workshop.
2025-04-03 - Siting and Outreach
Text summary of the third workshop.
2025-04-10 - BBS/Librarian
Text summary of the fourth workshop.
2025-04-16 - Opsec in AI and Meshtastic
Text summary of the fifth workshop.
Build Lists!
Useful Tools
- Flash Your Firmware From The Web Requires chrome!
- Plan Your Mesh