A Historical Twist on Long-Range Wireless: Building a 103 km Multi-Hop Network Replicating Claude Chappe's Telegraph

Area of Science:

• Telecommunications Engineering
• Wireless Networking
• Internet of Things (IoT)

Background:

• Claude Chappe's optical semaphore network demonstrated early long-range telecommunication in 1794.
• Modern long-range Internet of Things (IoT) solutions typically use star topology with a limited 10 km range.
• Existing IoT networks face range limitations due to gateway-centric star topology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a significantly extended range for low-power wireless networks.
• To combine modern long-range radio technology with the multi-hop concept inspired by Chappe's telegraph.
• To overcome the range limitations of current star topology IoT networks.

Main Methods:

• Deployed 11 battery-powered devices at historical Chappe telegraph tower locations.
• Utilized helium balloons to suspend devices for optimal placement.
• Implemented a proprietary protocol stack enabling a 10-hop wireless multi-hop network.

Main Results:

• Successfully established a 103 km low-power wireless multi-hop network.
• Demonstrated a 10-hop data forwarding capability between devices.
• Achieved the longest low-power multi-hop wireless network reported to date.

Conclusions:

• The combination of long-range radio technology and multi-hop networking can dramatically extend wireless network range.
• This approach offers a viable solution for expanding IoT coverage in industrial, agricultural, and urban settings.
• The Chappe telegraph's multi-hop principle remains relevant for advancing modern telecommunication networks.