I have been wondering about ad-hoc repeater deployments, and how to make this easier with Ripple. Some people I know use drones for temporary repeater deployment, which is very easy to do, but it is limited to the battery endurance of the drone.
I've recently wondered about tethered helium balloons, and think this could be very effective. I recently ordered some large latex balloons to do some experiments. Obtaining the helium will be more difficult, as the common 'party' kind is very diluted and mixed with oxygen.
Using a Pager as Repeater
The setup for the dedicated repeaters is, unfortunately, complicated, and requires purchasing the Ripple Commander app, and then a pairing and config process which I haven't, as yet, managed to simplify.
So, I have just updated the BLE Pager firmware to support a 'simple repeater' mode. All you have to do is download the free Ripple Messenger Android app, pair the BLE Pager and you're good to go. Now, when you turn on the Pager device, it remembers the ID, Frequency and Spreading Factor from when it was last used with the app, which is all it needs to function as a repeater!
The main downside, compared to the Commander app + dedicated repeater firmware, is that you cannot remotely query the repeater's status (battery, and other diagnostics).
See this recent post of how to build the Slim BLE Pager.
EDIT: The firmware has been updated (13 Nov '24) after discovering a very strange clock bug.
This pager can easily be strapped to a drone, or tied to a string and a helium balloon. According to a helium calculator, to lift this pager (just 42 grams), you'd only need one 18 inch balloon and about 40 litres of helium.
