Disclaimer

Reticulum is not developed or maintained by V0LT. You can learn more about it at https://reticulum.network. This page exists to briefly explain the system, and how it relates to V0LT. If all you want to do is connect to the V0LT server's Reticulum interface, you can skip to the "Implementation" section of this page below.

Introduction

Reticulum is a networking stack developed by Mark Qvist designed to help build versatile and infrastructure-independent networks. While there's much more to it, it's fair to say that if you want to build an independent network without being required to use the grid, Reticulum is the way to go.

While it's absolutely worth learning more about Reticulum from the external link above, I'll try to briefly summarize the very basics of how it works here.

Basics

Reticulum works using "interfaces". Interfaces are methods that Reticulum can use to communicate with other nodes on a network. For example, if you wanted to make a small Reticulum network on your home network, you could simply use your home WiFi has an interface to allow the devices to communicate. However, what makes Reticulum useful is the huge collection of interfaces that it is capable of using. While you absolutely can establish Reticulum connections over traditional networks using WiFi or Ethernet, Reticulum is also natively capable of using packet radios, modems, LoRa devices, and many others. This means it's easy to build networks in your local geographical area that work completely independently of existing internet infrastructure. By adding multiple interfaces to your Reticulum instance, you can mix and match methods of communication for redundancy and variety.

Implications

The capability of avoiding dependence on traditonal infrastructure opens up a wide gamut of possibilities. For example, using inexpensive LoRa radios, you could connect your entire neighborhood together, and allow everyone to communicate, even during utility outages and natural disasters. On a larger scale, Reticulum could allow for a much larger network to operate without the need for a central authority like an ISP.

Implementation

V0LT hosts a Reticulum network node accessible over traditional TCP/IP networks. for those interested in experimenting with the system. The V0LT node is connected to several other interfaces and serves to improve the resilience and reach of the largest Reticulum testnet.

The V0LT TCP/IP interface is accessible at v0lttech.com:4242. If you want to communicate with V0LT with LXMF over Reticulum, it's a good idea to add this interface so you have a more direct link, since I add this interface to all of my Reticulum nodes. To add the V0LT TCP/IP interface to your Reticulum instance, add the following entry to your Reticulum configuration file:

  [[RNS V0LT Server]]
    type = TCPClientInterface
    enabled = yes
    target_host = v0lttech.com
    target_port = 4242

Connectivity

The V0LT Reticulum node is connected to the following interfaces. In turn, many of these interfaces are connected to each-other, increasing the resilience of the network. If you are local to V0LT (near Chesterland, Ohio), you may also be able to establish a LoRa or alternative radio link with the V0LT node. For information about directly linking to V0LT via radio, don't hesitate to get in contact.

  [[RNS Testnet Dublin]]
    type = TCPClientInterface
    target_host = dublin.connect.reticulum.network
    target_port = 4965

  [[RNS BetweenTheBorders]]
    type = TCPClientInterface
    target_host = betweentheborders.com
    target_port = 4242

  [[RNS Beleth]]
    type = TCPClientInterface
    target_host = rns.beleth.net
    target_port = 4242

  [[RNS Nisa]]
    type = TCPClientInterface
    target_host = nisa.cat
    target_port = 4242