goTenna Mesh

[dreadlocks]

So I was bouncing around Wikipedia stuck in the quagmire of untangling interesting information when I ran across a footnote on the MURS page regarding this company:

goTenna Mesh | Text & GPS on your phone, even without service.

goTenna Mesh enables you to use your smartphone to text & share locations, regardless of cell coverage or wifi. Create a smart, people-powered network, anywhere.

gotennamesh.com

Anyone heard of these before? They operate on the 915Mhz ISM band which is pretty much globally available.. I could see something like this gaining favor in my party as my kids get older and get cell phones.. Things like backpacking, hunting, concerts/festivals with ******** coverage due to number of people, lots of overlap with potential GMRS adopters and more technologically robust in comparison to FM voice since it has messaging/meshing/location sharing.

Keeping these in my wish list for when I got some money burning a hole in my pocket.

 

[DaveInDenver]

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[DaveInDenver]

Not that it's quite the same thing but there's a pretty significant effort that has been done to implement amateur radio mesh networks using old WiFi routers. The advantage of course is being hams we can use more power, amplifiers, any antennas we want. You know the drill.

Broadband-Hamnet

Broadband-Hamnet - Amateur Radio Mesh Networking

www.broadband-hamnet.org

 

[sonoronos]

I guess some folks have been trying to up the range on these things using better antennas:

In The Mesh - Project Mother of All Nodes, a DIY Mesh Repeater System

George Alex Ure II attached a high-gain antenna to a standard goTenna Mesh to create Project MOAN (Mother of All Nodes), a self-sustaining repeater system that increases the range of a goTenna Mesh network.

inthemesh.com

I didn't know that goTenna was marketing a new product, but apparently they have a "goTenna Pro" which they are marketing for tactical comms plus some fancy android app.

I also remember an old story about Toyota getting some publicity using some kind of vehicle-based mesh network in Australia. It may have just been for publicity as I don't remember it going anywhere.

Saatchi & Saatchi Australia

We are the Nothing is Impossible company.

www.saatchi.com.au

 

[DaveInDenver]

I guess some folks have been trying to up the range on these things using better antennas:

In The Mesh - Project Mother of All Nodes, a DIY Mesh Repeater System

George Alex Ure II attached a high-gain antenna to a standard goTenna Mesh to create Project MOAN (Mother of All Nodes), a self-sustaining repeater system that increases the range of a goTenna Mesh network.

inthemesh.com

Interesting. There are commercial companies that do this already.

This area is password protected [401]

I didn't know that goTenna was marketing a new product, but apparently they have a "goTenna Pro" which they are marketing for tactical comms plus some fancy android app.

The goTenna Pro appears to be a Part 90 device so it will require a license for the frequency/frequencies you use.