# [](https://www.reddit.com/r/PcBuild/?f=flair_name%3A%22Build%20-%20Finished!%22)

The process involves integrating a low cost GPS module with an *ESP32* board,  
i emphasized a careful power management to ensure device longevity.  
then i highlighted the importance of using *Meshtastic* sleep modes and duty cycling to maintain a sustainable power draw :

\- a 2500 mAh battery paired with a small 3.7 V solar panel can support an ESP32 + SX1276 LoRa + OLED + GPS setup,  
\- Meshtastic firmware’s sleep mode and duty cycling are essential to make it viable for long term use. Without power saving, the system will drain quickly.  
\- 400 to 500 mA when everything is active. Average draw with Meshtastic power-saving: 80 to 150 mA depending on duty cycle.  
\- With deep sleep enabled (ESP32 + GPS duty cycling), runtime can extend to 2 to 3 days.

this small part of a project serves as a demo of real time tracking with energy efficiency and network congestion

the final step was to test the behaviour of my two meshtastic office nodes, i configured my gps node to send data each 20 seconds and i set up another two mesh nodes, each of them sends packets to get the location of the third node :

the first office node attached to a phone by bluetooth to the mesh app gets to connect first, sends request then the second node attached to pc by serial is opened after some time, sends request each 10 seconds for 5 times, then we close the desktop node and keep the first one attached to the phone running. what happens :

the first office node gets the first data then stops for sometime when the second office node gets an answer then timeout the second one, then gets third, timeout fourth and shutdown, then the first office node gets the last packet after a prolonged period.

Meshtastic nodes communicate over a mesh network where packets are broadcast and responses are shared among all nodes, so by breaking down this scenario i'd really really appreciate your feedback which i will be answering on my report, do you think this thing can survive the long term?

Solar Meshtastic GPS tracking node designed for long term outdoor use with an esp32