Hardware Specs
Deployment Philosophy
The network faces a fundamental strategic choice: devices that outlast their operators, or devices cheap enough to be disposable.
The Spore
Fire-and-Forget
| Battery | 12+ months |
| Sleep Current | 5µA |
| Hardware | Custom PCB, LDO mod |
| Discovery | AS3933 LF wake / BLE |
| Cost | ~$9.10 |
| Deployment | Parks, stop signs, remote |
Infrastructure that runs indefinitely without maintenance. Plant it and walk away. The network grows like mycelium — invisible, patient, persistent.
The Lantern
Swap Like Ammunition
| Battery | ~30 days |
| Continuous Draw | 1.38mA |
| Hardware | Stock ESP32-C3 SuperMini |
| Discovery | Wi-Fi sniff (1.7% duty) |
| Cost | ~$4.50 |
| Deployment | Cafes, transit, hubs |
Hardware is cheap. Human labor is proof-of-work. Swap nodes like spent ammunition — the monthly battery swap is itself an act of resistance.
The Lighthouse Strategy
Deploy both strategically. Lanterns at high-traffic hubs — cafes, transit stations, community centers — where carriers already visit and maintenance is trivial. Spores in the wild — stop signs, parks, remote trails — providing mesh continuity without any maintenance burden.
Bootstrap with Lanterns only. Zero hardware skills required. Rapid deployment. As the network matures and maintenance fatigue sets in, replace remote Lanterns with Spores. The network organically transitions from high-maintenance/high-access to low-maintenance/always-on.
A $3 throwie versus a $100,000 cell tower. The economics of disposability are the economics of freedom.
Spore — Bill of Materials
| Component | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| MCU ESP32-C3 SuperMini | $2.50 | |
| LF Wake Receiver AS3933 (125kHz, 2.3µA) | $1.80 | |
| Ferrite Antenna 2.4mH coil | $0.30 | |
| LDO (replacement) MCP1700-3302E (1.6µA) | $0.50 | |
| Battery CR123A 1500mAh | $2.00 | |
| Enclosure Magnetic key hider | $1.50 | |
| Potting Black epoxy resin | $0.50 | |
| Total | ~$9.10 |
Lantern — Bill of Materials
| Component | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| MCU ESP32-C3 SuperMini (stock) | $2.50 | |
| Battery 1000mAh LiPo | $1.50 | |
| Enclosure Generic ABS box | $0.50 | |
| Total | ~$4.50 |
The Throwie
"The hidden node. Plant one. Feed the network."
| MCU | ESP32-C3 SuperMini |
| Power | 3.2V LiFePO4 (AA or 18650) |
| Storage | Internal NVS (16 messages) |
| Radio | 2.4GHz Wi-Fi (ESP-NOW) |
| Sleep | 10μA Deep Sleep |
| Cost | < $5.00 USD |
The Mule
"The carrier. Walk your city. Move messages."
| Platform | iOS / Android / ESP32-S3 |
| Storage | SD Card / Internal Storage |
| Capacity | ~10,000+ messages |
| Role | Transit / Ferry |
Mule — Bill of Materials
| Component | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| SBC Raspberry Pi 4 (4GB) | $55.00 | |
| Radio Dongle ESP32-S3 DevKit | $8.00 | |
| External Antenna +8dBi 2.4GHz | $10.00 | |
| LF Transmitter Custom PCB (MOSFET + coil) | $5.00 | |
| Storage 256GB NVMe | $25.00 | |
| GPS Module u-blox NEO-6M | $10.00 | |
| Power 20000mAh USB-C PD bank | $40.00 | |
| Total | ~$153.00 |
The Sink
"The surface point. The message finds its way."
| Hardware | Raspberry Pi 3/4/Zero + Hat |
| Uplink | Ethernet / Cellular / Tor |
| Role | Egress / Ingress |
