Frequently asked questions
The honest answers — including the boxes zBRETT doesn't belong in.
Isn't zBRETT just prepper or amateur radio?
No. Amateur-radio tools like Winlink or JS8Call are licensed, long-range and meant for deploying in an emergency. zBRETT is licence-free (868 MHz ISM band), local and built as a threaded neighbourhood discussion board. It doesn't replace the amateur-radio stack, it adds a layer to it — details on the positioning page.
Isn't this just Meshtastic?
Related hardware, different goal. Meshtastic provides transport but flat channels with no threading, no message IDs, no history, no subscriptions. zBRETT brings exactly that semantics back and uses Reticulum instead of Meshtastic. "Meshtastic-compatible" hardware is therefore not automatically zBRETT-capable; what matters is RNode/Reticulum firmware.
Does zBRETT replace an internet forum?
No. If you have the internet, you have it better. zBRETT is Usenet semantics with SMS economics: a thread of 140-character nodes that needs no server, no data centre and has no off-switch. It's something else, not a worse forum.
Do I need a radio licence?
No. zBRETT uses the licence-free 868 MHz ISM band — no callsign, no exam. A legal airtime limit of 1 percent (duty cycle) applies, about 700 messages per day per device.
Is zBRETT an emergency system?
Deliberately not. zBRETT is an everyday network that doesn't fail in an emergency. A network that only runs in a disaster is broken in a disaster — because no one knows, maintains or has practised with it. Emergency resilience is the side effect, not the purpose.
What hardware do I need?
As an endnode, a LoRa device with nRF52840 + Semtech SX1262 on the 868 MHz band (EU868), plus a phone as host. Suitable candidates: RAK4631, LilyGO T-Echo, Heltec Mesh Node T114, Elecrow ThinkNode M1. Everything else on the hardware page.
Can I take part or test?
Yes. If you already own compatible hardware, you can sign up as a field tester — an email to hello@protagx.com or via the get-involved section on the hardware page.
Does zBRETT work yet? What's the status?
The concept is fully thought through; it is at the MVP/definition stage. The next step is a measurement of the radio overhead (M1) with two radios, before any code is written. Not yet a finished product you put into service solo today.
Why only 140 characters per post?
Because a 140-character post fits entirely into one radio notice and is instantly readable everywhere, with no fetch. The forced brevity is a feature: one thought per post, no full quotes. Longer posts are possible — but are only fetched by people who have internet.
Who owns the network? Can it be switched off?
No one centrally. The devices belong to whoever put them up. No server, no company, no algorithm — and thus no place to pull a lever. If one device fails, the message finds another path.
Why is it spelled zBRETT with a lowercase z?
The "z" is a mark of provenance: it points to the Z-Netz, the first democratically organised German-language mailbox network, whose forums were called "Bretter" (boards). And the letter Z is at the same time the silhouette of a thread. More under About & name.
Question not covered? Write to hello@protagx.com.