Hardware¶

Supported devices¶

The Zero 2W is the primary deployment target: small, low-power, and capable enough for a small group of users. The goal is a setup that fits in a bag with a stack of powerbanks.

Storage¶

Each device boots from a micro SD card. Minimum card size is 8 GB.

See Boot for the full partition layout and A/B slot logic.

Power¶

There are no specific watt-hour targets. The principle is to minimize consumption at every level:

• Disable services that aren't actively needed
• No background tasks, cron jobs, or periodic polling
• Clean logs at boot
• Measure and cut unnecessary CPU and memory usage

The system should run as long as possible on a standard USB powerbank.

Networking¶

Travel router¶

The recommended setup is a low-power travel router providing WiFi between nodes and, when available, upstream internet for syncing data. No specific model is required. Any device that provides WiFi and DHCP works.

WiFi¶

Devices connect to the travel router or any configured network. WiFi credentials are provisioned by bootconf from /data/config/bootconf.yaml. DHCP is used for IP assignment. See Boot configuration for details.

USB¶

The Zero 2W's USB OTG port supports USB networking (gadget mode). This lets a phone or laptop connect directly to the device's services over USB. A usb0 interface appears on the host with a static link-local address.

Mesh¶

Batman-adv mesh networking between nodes is a future goal. This could replace the travel router and reduce power consumption by removing a separate device.