meshtastic
[Feature Request]: More Flexible Location Data Configuration
Platform
NRF52, ESP32
Description
Location data is currently sent over the Primary channel, if enabled at all. It's rather difficult to change things around, to send location data to a different channel. When using a Meshtastic radio for multiple purposes, like family tracking and also disaster recovery, a user might want a simple way to change on what channels location data is sent. For normal operation, only the private, primary channel would get location data. But right after a disaster, the location could be turned on for everyone.
I suggest a pair of options for each channel, to send and receive location data. Easily configured by end users, even non-technical users. This would allow meshtastic users to quickly adapt to an emergency, and still manage their privacy during normal times.
Edit: Radios also respond to location requests over non-primary channels, making it impossible to limit location data to a subset of channels. Short term suggest simply refusing to respond to location request over non-primary channel. Longer term, there should be a mechanism to limit channels to respond to location requests. Maybe limit responses to the channels configured to broadcast location.
Turning on sending of location data on non-primary channels should trigger a "big annoying warning" that it can cause massive slow-downs to the mesh.
I'm kinda with you on this one. It would also solve an MQTT issue where Primary ch dont match over many nodes, but a matching secondary(s) would. Especially when SHTF , no internet is available, and a local laptop w a wifi router and MQTT locally hosted,, is providing comm to a neighborhood or SAR event.. But, there would probably need a number after the peer to indicate which 'channel' the node is currently seen on,etc.
I've been thinking more about this, and I'm wondering if there's a compelling reason to actually have a "Primary" channel. It seems like a meaning distinction, since channel 0 is always primary.
