Hi @jimdunn 
My replies are inline below
It’s a cool idea… but just a geek toy… not ready for prime time production use.
Maybe my previous message was not clear? Here is a shorter version of my reply below.
I put Jami on 2 of my phones, and could send msgs back and forth. But, as soon as one phone was across town from the other, issues… either no messages received (although they appeared to send; tried from both phones).
Thanks again for sharing your experience with Jami
One easy and quick way to resolve this challenge is to simply activate this Jami OpenDHT.
Today I simplified my previous message. If my previous message was clear. But flipping an off & on switch is presently outside your comfort zone. Then Jami might not be a good match for your present needs. If flipping a switch is within your comfort zone, and you’re interested to try it. I would love to hear your test result, if this is of interest to you.