Signal and reach anecdote

I have a node on the roof of my 1-storey house. My neighborhood is mixed residential / business and most buildings are 2 storeys, with some going all the way to the 30 foot CA coastal height limit.

Today I walked to lunch 5 blocks away, and sat on the 2nd floor of a bar & grill. Multiple 2-storey buildings between here and my house. I had my WisMesh Tag clipped to my belt loop. I sent a message from my table, right in the middle of the interior. It failed to send "Max Retransmission Reached".

I was inside a building, so I kind of expected that.

After I ate, I went out on their balcony, facing away from my house. I held the tag above the table, and resent the message. Acknowledged right away. Sweet.

When I got home, I checked with my roof node, and the message was direct - 0 hops. The whole building was between my Tag and my roof node. But the open air in front of my must have helped in some way.

Anyway, radio can be weird, I guess. :)