Off-Grid Communications, Portable Computing, AR, and VR
April 30, 2025
LILYGO T-Deck Plus. Source: LILYGO website
So, you've grown tired of bringing phones filled with tracking, telemetry, AI, and endless notifications with you everywhere you go, or are going somewhere where bringing a phone could be dangerous, such as a protest? Grab a LILYGO T-Deck or T-Deck Plus. Originally priced at around 80$ for the Plus (which has a case, battery, and GPS, unlike the $45 more basic T-Deck non-plus model), it can work decently as an off-grid standalone Meshtastic node. Battery lasts a few days in my experience, and it has a backlit keyboard. In the US, (as of when I'm writing this at least) you should still be able to get it under $200 despite Trump's erratic tariffs. You might be able to get it cheaper though if enough CEOs yell at him and he cancels tariffs again, but don't count on it. Though I will say, if you live in the US right now, definitely consider grabbing one of these. They can work over pretty long range too. If you live in the US, buy a 915Mhz LoRa device, for others, just check the Meshtastic docs. But by grabbing one of these and using the Meshtastic web flasher to flash Meshtastic UI, it gives you a fully capable off grid messaging device.
For other tasks on the go, such as notes, you don't have to go full pen and paper. Many older devices like the Palm III (which I would actually like to get, send some Monero to that address in my about section and I will) are still usable as a simple, offline device for notes or simple programs without any networking hardware other then IrDA. Also, devices like the M5Stack Cardputer can be quite useful as a highly portable mini ESP32 powered PDA-like device, especially when combines with M5Launcher (linked on this page).
M5Stack Cardputer. Source: M5Stack Website
You could even consider grabbing an AR headset. It's something I've also been wanting to get for years after my old one was stolen (please donate so I can), and given how cheap some older hardware is getting, as well as newer hardware like the XREAL Air, you can get it for a decent enough price as long as you're willing to tinker a bit. I had a Magic Leap Creator edition for a brief period before it was stolen, and can defintely say this kinda tech can be very useful.
Hololens first gen. Technically unsupported now. Been trying to get one for years, but never had the money, and I ended up getting a Magic Leap Creator Edition that was stolen from me. Still haven't gotten it back, and currrently trying to save up for a first gen Hololens like this.
Also VR can be really useful. It's not just an escape from reality, though some people use it as that. It can also be geniunely useful for checking out an area before traveling with something like Google Earth VR, or just hanging out with people I defintely recommend trying it out, specifically using PC VR headsets like the Valve Index or HTC Vive (which I have, specifically the original model, which is still availible on eBay).
Original HTC Vive. This is the one I have. Source: HTC Vive website.
It's time to start taking privacy seriously, and that starts with hardware like this. It isnt paranoid to not want to be tracked 24/7. It's insane that corporations find that to be acceptable to do in the first place. It isn't hard to increase privacy either, just switch to open source and privacy friendly software, hardware, and services rather then something like iPhones and Windows 11 PCs.
Magic Leap Creator Edition. One of the coolest AR devices I've ever used, with a UI that I've yet to see beaten by any modern hardware. Still bummed that it got stolen from me. Even if I get it back now, it isn't usable anymore as the servers no longer exist as of 2025. Source: PCMag
