I want to set up Freifunk nodes, but somehow all the local communities are down or dissolved.
Freifunk Dortmund may not be as up-to-date when it comes to firmware, but we’re working on it.
And we’re definitely not dead!
The fact that there are only fewer or hardly any active local communities there: It’s a shame, sure.
However:
What bothers me about your sentence is this word „but“!
It sounds like you couldn’t do Freifunk because there are no local communities, right?
Or to put it another way: Look for a vibrant community that also accepts nodes „from outside“ (there are a handful of them) and that fits your way of working, for example in terms of communication channels, and you’re good to go.
If you’re happy with ONE „vibrant“ community, then https://freifunk.ruhr/
They also have current firmware.
(Of course, that doesn’t change the fact that there are also communities in the Ruhr area that are inactive and/or dissolved. But in my opinion, that’s more of a matter of sentiment.)