I started to read several threads but then realised I was reading ones from years ago. I am going to put OpenWRT on a relatively powerful device (Banana Pi BPI R4) with a USB port and was trying to decide whether to install OpenWRT as a OS or as a docker. I have a meshtastic radio that connects via USB or Bluetooth to a computer running Chrome using Serial (via USB) or via a Bluetooth adapter, but I don’t have wifi. Some devices do and much of the reading I have done has been about the devices with WiFi and so have not really got anywhere.
The meshtastic web client, which I am now going to try and link to:
https://client.meshtastic.org/
Loads quite quick so I assume there is not too much to it, but I haven’t enabled developer mode and had a look yet. Is there a way to run the code copied/amended from a particular website in OpenWRT after installing some node.js?
Alternatively, if I install Linux with OpenWRT as a docker I could just install Chrome and then figure out how to forward MQTT traffic from Chrome to the IOT VLAN in an OpenWRT docker.
Alternatively (2) the board I am getting has GPIO pins so I think I could get a board with SPIO (I have one but they have since found a bug with the oscillator) and attach it to a Linux PC running MeshtasticD and the dockerised form of OpenWRT.
If I do manage to get a meshtastic radio connected to OpenWRT does that count as a new interface? Meshtastic has MQTT built in (to allow even longer range communication). By default it uses their own server but you can change it to use a local broker. If the meshtastic radio is a new interface do I need to adapt my firewall settings to allow it to connect to devices on my IOT VLAN?
There are more instructions on installing Zigbee2MQTT in OpenWRT and it seems there that Zigbee radios are not new interfaces, so maybe interface only refers to wifi radios and Ethernet ports and my understanding of the word “interface” is wrong?