It has been exactly a week since we let you freaks know that Samourai Wallet was sending Bitcoin transactions completely disconnected from the Internet, using goTenna routers and their TxTenna software. Seven days have passed and the hype around TxTenna is rising like the fire Bane was referring to in The Dark Knight Rises. People are, rightfully so, HYPED about this network and product coming to fruition before our eyes. Again, the implications of being able to broadcast Bitcoin transactions without the Internet are massive because they immediately make Bitcoin significantly more decentralized in once facet. Decentralization is an ideal that we strive for. It is probably impossible to produce out of the box, so these networks will naturally start out with a certain degree of centralization and, hopefully, over time the people utilizing these networks will work hard to make them more and more decentralized.
2/ To understand mesh networks, let's first break down how they differ from typical network architectures. Your everyday devices (phones, computers, routers, etc) are commonly setup under a hub and spoke architecture.
— Yassine Elmandjra (@yassineARK) October 8, 2018
4/ In a mesh network, the architecture is not as clearly defined. Nodes are peers, which means there is no special base station node. Data can be forwarded via a chain of peer nodes as long as each node is within range of the preceding node. pic.twitter.com/AqiiieAbbG
— Yassine Elmandjra (@yassineARK) October 8, 2018
6/ To send and receive data across the mesh network, nodes determine optimal routes through the network’s routing protocol. These protocols automatically reconfigure the network based on the environment and presence of relay nodes. More nodes = more paths = stronger network.
— Yassine Elmandjra (@yassineARK) October 8, 2018
8/ "Once a relaying goTenna Mesh confirms that it can reach the IR, the path to the IR will be defined and remembered, so messages between the original sender and the IR will follow the same path.”
— Yassine Elmandjra (@yassineARK) October 8, 2018
In Bitcoin, we are constantly and actively working to decentralize development, mining pools, chip manufacturing, custody, full node users, the way transactions are broadcasts and relayed to the network, and much more. Obviously, some of these verticals within Bitcoin's ecosystem are more centralized than others and we have a long way to go before Bitcoin is as decentralized as we need it to be. However, the addition of TxTenna helps us take a giant leap towards the ideal we are striving for. Allowing people in remote areas or areas that have been subject to government censorship to broadcast Bitcoin transactions without the Internet makes Bitcoin a true, badass cypherpunk tool IMO.
Our friend Yassine from ARK Invest (who gave us a nice primer on Bitcoin's scripting language last week) has put together an awesome thread explaining how mesh networks and TxTenna actually work. Definitely check it out when you get a chance today. There's much more in the thread than what I have shared here. Also, go pick up some goTenna devices if you haven't already! Contribute to Bitcoin's decentralization!
Final thought...
Tha Carter V has me longing for the days of Tha Carter III.
