Suggestions for connecting via smartphones are worth sharing.
Suggestions for connecting via smartphones are worth sharing.
Recently I attended a trade show as a vendor. Our booth was well-equipped with a powerful router, and we also had a mobile transportation robot—essentially a compact, load-carrying robot similar to a Roomba. The challenge was needing wireless control of the robot in case it got lost or someone wanted to block its path. I managed to keep it within range by placing it on a small LAN network using a USB-powered router, which worked well in our shop despite the distance. However, at the event with hundreds of visitors and many wireless networks nearby, maintaining a stable connection became difficult. I had to stay close to ensure control.
This made me consider an alternative: using two cell phones to create a point-to-point LAN via LTE signals. It might be possible, as both devices could communicate directly without relying on the internet. I’m open to ideas and documentation, and I think this approach could work. My idea is that both phones would exchange data directly, eliminating the need for Wi-Fi or long-range connections. I’m also curious about whether cell phone radio signals could extend the range of such a network.
Even though I’m not an expert on LTE, I think linking two phones directly in a peer-to-peer setup isn’t really possible—they weren’t built for that kind of communication. https://www.quora.com/Can-you-connect-2-...tly-by-LTE Have you checked out something like LoRaWAN? I’m not sure about your data needs; it seems to be just sending simple commands, like “move to this location.” Video streaming over LoRa wouldn’t work, but for low-bandwidth tasks you could create a small private network using a Raspberry Pi as a LoRa gateway. The coverage can reach several miles, though the data rate is very low—bps rather than kbps. Another choice would be to switch all your gear to Wi-Fi 6E, which is becoming more common and offers plenty of channels. If you prefer something simpler, you could use a budget LTE hotspot or a phone such as the TP-Link M7200 (~$35) and set up a VPN between the devices.
they offer another option for radio-based communication instead of WiFi. it could work well in a peer-to-peer setup for a compact network, supporting up to three devices. the robot can be connected via a laptop, controlled from a phone or tablet, and then join the network when needed.