At any given moment in time, there are probably millions of campaigns crowd funding on the web. I went through a few crowd-funding sides just like Kickstarter and Indiegogo and next to a lot of useless and weird gadgets, I was intrigued by one project called “goTenna”.
goTenna is a mobile long-range mesh network device that pairs itself with your phone via Bluetooth and enables you to communicate even when you don’t have any phone service. The technology does not rely on external infrastructure like Wi-Fi networks and cell towers, routers or satellites.
With their app it is possible to chat privately with another person or a group of people broadcast your message to anyone in range. Furthermore, it allows you to send text messages or GPS coordinates on offline maps to others.
The device is powered by networking protocols, which intelligently relays messages through other users. This means there are positive same side network effects in this case as more people use the device in your area, the more people you can reach in terms of users and in terms of distance as the messages are relayed through other people’s devices. So it is possible to double or triple any device’s effective range and create a network that gets stronger the more people join. Kickstarter collected about 480 thousand dollars so far and it is possible to order 2 devices for 149$.
I think this technology does not only enable off-track outdoor travelers or over-crowded places but is also helpful during emergency situations, where it allows for critical communications with friends and family as well as others nearby even when the power is out and cell towers are down.
The whole subject made me think of various questions. Could this device also revolutionize the messaging market? If people use the device for crowded spaces, events and emergencies, would they use the messenger tool on a daily basis? goTenna repeatedly talks about their privacy and security, which is a huge issue for people using Whatsapp. Can the cost of investing in the device plus building a network outweigh privacy concerns and actually create competition? And is it even possible to recreate a network such as Whatsapp or Facebook Messanger or will this device only cater a niche of outdoor travelers?
What do you think?
Source:
goTenna Team. 2016. goTenna Mesh off Grid People Powered Connectivity. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gotenna/gotenna-mesh-off-grid-people-powered-connectivity/description. [Accessed 20 October 2016].
Hi Anna Lena, thanks for you interesting post. I see one main problem with goTenna and that is the fact that it relies on other users of goTenna relatively nearby. I believe this product is most valuable to people off the grid, with no service and thus probably far away from civilization. When there are not many people around, let alone people with goTenna, it can’t connect to any other devices and thus not send out messages, rendering it useless. Seems like it could be useful, but only with a very large user base. What is your view on this?
Luca
I think there is certainly a market for this mesh network. If you’re in a place without wifi or mobile reception this could be an alternative to walkie-talkies. Every message you send over any network can potentially be read by others than the recipient. To keep your conversations really private you better tell people in person 😉
I really like this post, I had not hear of goTenna before! Most of the other long-distance ‘communication’ devices either require cell phone/ internet networks or are not suitable for textual messages, like those bracelets that come in pairs and where the other one vibrates when you tap yours. All fun and stuff, but unlike you and the other person know morse code, you can not send any messages. Reading this, it seems really interesting for big events where networks are overcrowded, for example at festivals, or at places where you can’t get cell phone reception. The only question I have is, if this systems relays messages through other users, what happens when you are actually camping in the middle of nowhere, with no other around you? Will just your device be able to reach a significant distance on its own, or will the system be useless there? If one device has quite some reacht by itself, I can see this working out very well!