RALLIER Mesh

RALLIER Mesh keeps a convoy connected where cell service doesn't reach. It uses a small radio in your car, the RALLIER Mesh Node, to pass chat, one-tap alerts, and positions from car to car when there's no signal.

The node is optional hardware. Nothing changes in RALLIER if you don't have one, and Mesh only ever works inside a convoy.

In the RALLIER app

The node is a small LoRa radio that lives in your car and pairs with the app over Bluetooth. Once it's paired, it takes care of itself. When a convoy loses cell signal, convoy chat, the one-tap alerts (Fuel, Pull over, Arrived, and the rest), and member positions go out over the radio to the other members' nodes instead. Every node repeats what it hears, so there's nothing to configure, and the traffic is encrypted to the convoy.

If one member still has signal, their phone relays the mesh traffic up to RALLIER, so members without a node still see it. Cars without a node stay in the loop as long as someone nearby has a connection.

Setting up a node. Open You, then Settings, then Mesh Node. The intro says the node keeps the convoy talking when there's no signal. Tap Set up a node, or I don't have one if you're just looking. On the Scan your node screen, point your camera at the QR code on the node, on its label, or on the node's own screen. If the camera isn't an option, tap Type the serial instead and enter the serial and token printed under the QR. Scanning the QR with your phone's regular camera also opens the app.

RALLIER then finds the node, pairs with it, registers it, applies the radio settings, and checks its firmware. If an update is waiting you can tap Update now or Skip and do it later. Last, you pick Which vehicle? The node stays with the car, so choose the car it lives in. For the best range, mount the node low in the cabin and run the antenna to the roof. When you see You're set, you're done. From then on the node connects by itself whenever the car is on.

A node belongs to one account at a time. If you see "This node belongs to someone else. Ask them to Forget it.", the person who set it up needs to release it from their account first. One account can hold several nodes, one per vehicle. If you use a second phone on the same account, scan the node's QR again on that phone to use the node there.

Managing your nodes. The Mesh Node screen lists Your nodes. Each card shows whether the node is Connected or Not connected, which vehicle it's assigned to, and its firmware. From a card you can:

• Change vehicle to move the node to a different car.
• Remove from this phone to stop using the node on this phone only. It stays on your account, so another phone can still pair with it.
• Forget to release the node from your account everywhere. You can pair it again later.
• Show on node screen to turn the node's display on for a couple of minutes, which helps when you're hunting for the QR.

Add another node starts setup again for a second car. Three switches control how Mesh behaves, and all are on by default:

• Use mesh when offline falls back to your node for chat and alerts when there's no cell signal.
• Share my connection with the convoy relays other members' mesh traffic to RALLIER while you have signal.
• Position over mesh sends your position to the convoy over the node when you're offline.

While you drive. Once a node is paired, a small Mesh chip appears on the drive screen. Tap it to open the RALLIER Mesh sheet, which shows your signal strength, whether your phone is currently the internet gateway for the convoy, and which other nodes you can hear nearby.

When you lose internet, a banner reads "No signal — convoy chat and alerts are going over mesh." Chat keeps working with a few differences. A message sent over mesh alone can be up to 140 characters, compared with 500 online, and it carries a small mesh badge so everyone can tell how it traveled. The roster shows each member as on mesh or online. Positions over mesh update less often than they do online, roughly every minute and a half, and a little slower in a big convoy. Range depends on line of sight between cars and on where the antenna sits.

Updating the node. When a newer firmware is available, you'll be offered it during setup, or as an Update button on the node's card. Tap it and keep the node powered with your phone close by. The update goes over Bluetooth and takes two to three minutes. It isn't offered during a drive, because the node may be carrying your convoy's messages.

Troubleshooting. The Mesh Node screen has a Troubleshoot section with two entries.

• Node not connecting. Make sure the node is plugged in and its blue light is on, and that RALLIER has Bluetooth permission on your phone. If the node still won't pair, power-cycle it three times within 30 seconds to reset it for re-pairing.
• Range is poor. Antenna placement matters more than power. Keep the antenna on the roof, or as high in the cabin as the cable allows, and away from metal panels. A hill or a building will cut range well before a couple of miles of open road does.

On the web

There are no Mesh controls on the web, and setup and day-to-day use happen in the app on iOS and Android, which work the same way. The one web piece is a firmware page, for updating a node by hand if the app can't.

Open rallier.app/mesh/update on your computer and follow the steps there. In short:

1. Plug the node into your computer with USB-C.
2. Double-tap the RESET button on the node. A drive appears on your computer.
3. Drag the firmware file from the page onto that drive.

The node keeps its serial, its pairing, and its vehicle.

Tips

• Pair and update the node before you leave, in the driveway, where it's easy to scan the QR and keep the phone nearby.
• Mount the node low in the cabin with the antenna on the roof, and keep it away from large metal panels.
• Keep mesh-only messages short, since they're capped at 140 characters. The one-tap alerts are ideal when there's no signal.
• Leave Share my connection with the convoy on. It's what lets members without a node see mesh traffic whenever you have signal.
• If you sell or give a node to someone else, Forget it first so they can set it up on their own account.