Have you ever gone to a beautiful place off the grid, and tried to text family or friends but sadly could not because your phone had no signal? GoTenna has a solution for you: the GoTenna Mesh.
The GoTenna Mesh is a small device that pairs with both Android and iOS smartphones through Bluetooth to enable the user to send a text message when mobile cellular signals, cell towers, or Wi-Fi connections are unreliable. It is currently being offered on Kickstarter.
PCMag reported that the Mesh allows people to stay connected even in areas that are off the grid and far from mobile service. The Mesh, which is GoTenna's second product, uses publicly available frequencies found on the UHF spectrum.
Unlike its predecessor which only allowed point-to-point communication between two users or from one to a select group of people within range of each other, GoTenna says that the Mesh operates on "people-powered connectivity" that allows users to create a 'mesh' network that expands as the number of Mesh users increase.
Think about it this way: Person 1 sends a message to Person 2. If Person 2 is too far for Person 1's mesh range, Person 1's Mesh will attempt to locate another Mesh (Person 3), and will use that Mesh's signal to bring the message to Person 2 (without Person 3 knowing).
Now imagine if there are more than a hundred Mesh users scattered over a wide area. That means the Mesh network will be very wide, proving that the GoTenna Mesh creates a "long-range consumer-ready mesh network."
Daniela Perdomo, GoTenna co-founder and CEO, explained that "We're addressing something bigger than just unreliable service."
GoTenna noted that the device would be very beneficial for people who go on trips off the grid, people who are in emergency situations where electricity and cell towers are down, people who are in crowded places where the signal is affected by the large crowds, and people who travel outside the country with friends.
GoTenna is offering a pair of GoTenna Mesh's on Kickstarter for $129. Prices will be $179 after 30 days. GoTenna is also offering GoTenna Plus, a service that provides special features such as topographic maps, automated location tracking, and trip statistics among others.