30th Fribourg Linux Seminar : M&M’s: Mesh Made Simple

Join us at the 30th Fribourg Linux Seminar, whose title is "M&M’s: Mesh Made Simple - Enabling Reliable Communication Anywhere" where we explore mesh networks and the possibilities they enable.

Our expert speakers will share their insights and experiences, practical advice, and best practices for making use of mesh networks so as to leverage their terrific power.

Don't miss this opportunity to network with fellow developers and computer science professionals and learn from the best in the business.

Context
As connectivity becomes the backbone of modern computing, mesh networks are emerging as a powerful paradigm for building resilient, decentralized, and scalable communication infrastructures. From IoT deployments to community networks and beyond, mesh technology is redefining how devices communicate — without relying on a single point of failure.

We invite you to join us as we explore the principles, tools, and real-world use cases that make mesh networking an exciting frontier for developers, system architects, and open-source enthusiasts alike.

Agenda

- 17h00 : Reception of Attendees
- 17h15 : Welcome and Information HEIA-FR (Jacques Supcik, Luca Haab HEIA-FR, Roland Scherwey, Professors HEIA-FR)

- 17h25 : Mesh networks: Myths and realities, Nicolas Stefani, CTO Sky Switzerland, Neuchâtel
Wireless mesh is often marketed as a "silver bullet," yet user expectations frequently clash with technical reality. This talk deconstructs myths like infinite scalability and "plug-and-play" simplicity. We’ll explore radio physics, multi-hop routing, and standards fragmentation, while diving into open-source implementations like Meshtastic, MeshCore, and Bitchat. Attendees will learn when to embrace the mesh and which community-driven path—from long-range LoRa to smartphone-native BLE—actually delivers in the field.

- 17h55 : Enhancing Resilience in 4G/5G Networks: from Redundancy to Mesh Architectures, Sanne Stijve, Professor of Communication Systems & Mobile Networks - HEIA-FR.
As connectivity becomes increasingly critical to our digital society, resilience is emerging as a key concern for mobile network operators and private 4G/5G deployments as well.
This presentation will first examine the main risks and drivers motivating the need for improved resilience in 4G/5G networks. It will then review a range of mechanisms to address these requirements, from traditional redundancy schemes to the focus of this seminar, namely mesh-based architectures applied to 4G/5G systems.

- 18h25 : Meshtastic Projects at the HEIA-FR, Jacques Supcik, Romaine Jeandupeux, Aurélien Bulliard, HEIA-FR
Since August 2024, HEIA-FR has operated a Meshtastic node mounted on our "Telecom Tower". What started as hardware and software validation in a sparse network has grown into a local ecosystem with multiple active nodes and community applications. In this talk, we present our infrastructure and two student-led Meshtastic projects. For industrial partners, these projects show that students can handle complex, real-world challenges and support research and development through rapid prototyping, field testing, and practical innovation. We welcome future collaboration opportunities.

- 18h55 : Apéritif and Networking

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Slides / Languages
EN: The slides will be in English and the talks will be either in EN, FR, or DE.
FR: Les transparents seront en anglais et les présentations pourront être faites en FR, en EN, ou en DE.
DE: Die Folien werden auf Englisch sein und die Vorträge können entweder auf DE, EN oder FR gehalten werden.

You can download the flyers and handouts of the previous seminars from our archive website (https://fls.isc.heia-fr.ch/archives/).

Contact Info
Feel free to suggest something using the discussion page: https://www.meetup.com/fr-FR/Fribourg-Linux-Seminar/discussions/