Have you ever lost cell service in a natural disaster or wanted to be able to share a text message with your friends while fishing or hunting in a remote area? Or maybe you’ve been hiking or overhanging with family and wanted to share your exact location but were out of cell range. If so, mesh networks might be just the answer. 

Over the past few years, an innovative technology has become available, at affordable prices, which allows you to create your own communication networks. Called mesh networks, they connect individual nodes and allow signals to be shared directly between nodes without relying on a central hub like a network server or cell tower. 

They are particularly effective in environments with many obstacles such as buildings, as they can route data to avoid weak links. Mesh networks create short line-of-sight hops, and that is why the more nodes added to the network, the further it will reach. For example, the distance two nodes may communicate can be as short as half a mile in the city or as far as six miles in the open desert. Each node added to the network increases that distance like a connect-the-dots puzzle, except that it’s possible that each node will communicate with every other node it can reach and determine the most effective path for data to be moved from one node to another, regardless of where it is located in the network. 

Mesh networks operate in various frequency ranges, but the common advantage is that they do not require a radio operator license from the Federal Communications Commission. Another advantage is that mesh networks constantly evaluate their health and can self-heal or bypass a node that is no longer connected to the network in order to ensure data will continue to be passed through the network. 

These things really shine in scenarios where existing communication infrastructure goes down, such as natural disasters, or in areas where none exists at all, like the pristine wilderness. Likewise, government agencies have had success working across agencies and levels of government and with different systems that aren’t designed to be interoperable.

I first encountered mesh network devices in the late 1990s while in the Air Force. Cutting-edge technology at the time, they were being used as breadcrumbs in areas where GPS wouldn’t work due to being unable to receive a signal from the satellite constellation. Take, for example, a large building. A mesh network node would be placed at the entrance and every so often along the path, as the building was cleared. As each node was established, it automatically connected to the network, and if one stopped working, the network would “heal” itself and reform without the missing node. All the while, those connected to the network had access to the GPS signal, and with some additional bells and whistles, they had precise GPS points, no matter where they were in the building. Since communications in buildings and high biomass environments like jungles and dense forests aren’t very reliable, these breadcrumbs, as we called them, also facilitated low bandwidth communications, essentially data, like a version of the original Blue Force Tracker. Eventually, they were able to incorporate other data streams similar to modern text messaging but using proprietary protocols. It was all quite hush-hush at the time. Now, all of this is commercially available, cheaper and better. 

So far, mesh networks remain low-bandwidth devices, meaning they are great for data such as text and file sharing, which is how we make most of our cell communications anyway. Even better, network devices connect using Bluetooth on your current cell phone.

Another emerging protocol which operates similarly to mesh networks is LoRa for Long Range. LoRa was developed for use with the Internet of Things (IoT), a concept you’ve probably already encountered in your home. This system aims to connect virtually every electronic device to the internet as a communications backbone. The idea is that these devices will provide constant data for management. For example, there are refrigerators that know when they run out of eggs and can be configured to place an order for more eggs from the local grocer, who will then deliver them to the residence. 

Some have experimented with ways to extend the range even further by elevating the node to increase line of sight. There are examples of using tethered balloons or drones to raise them aloft. Others have used the high ground around their property or within reach of a base camp during extended outings to employ mesh network nodes in order to enable wider coverage. Some of these emplacements can be quite elaborate with solar panels and batteries to ensure 24-hour coverage. 

Developers continue to push the envelope. You can now purchase LoRa devices that incorporate keyboards much like the old BlackBerry and two-way paging devices. You don’t even need a cell phone. Some devices are slowly adding voice services, but they require more bandwidth. If you are in a natural disaster-prone region, you may have heard that it’s more effective to use text messaging rather than trying to make a voice call due to the bandwidth limitations of cellular networks. This works in much the same way. 

Hobbyists are homebrewing devices based on the Raspberry Pi operating system and incorporate mesh networking protocols which they refer to as Cyberdecks. These standalone devices incorporate keyboards and screens and find their roots in cyberpunk fiction. Some of these computer systems are configured to serve as Wi-Fi-enabled servers, filled with encyclopedic data and other information of use to preppers and others in situations where the grid goes down. 

One of the earliest commercially available mesh network nodes for off-the-grid comms was GoTenna back in 2014 and offered initially via the crowdfunding website Kickstarter. 

Since its inception, the company transitioned from a consumer focus to develop products for government customers and more difficult challenges like supporting woodland firefighting and streamlining interagency communications post-disaster. Since then, they’ve begun to offer consumer models that are about the size of a travel toothbrush case and are weatherproof. 

Some of the latest developments allow the network to access the World Wide Web or other communication systems in a process called crossbanding, facilitating reach back to those outside your network. Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANET) can be used to take the place of offline or non-existent cellular networks. They are even more sophisticated and service data as well as voice, but they are generally too expensive and complicated for consumer use.

There are multiple commercially available devices to create mesh networks. They are simple to use and quite intuitive. If you are a retailer who offers radios, you might want to add mesh network devices to your store. If you are an outdoor enthusiast who often finds yourself in austere environments, off the grid, then mesh networking devices are a must-have.