# goTenna ## Resources - https://gotenna.com/ - [x] Grok ## See also: - ### [[Lot 49]] - ### [[Global Mesh Labs]] - #### Techcrunch articles tagged with goTenna - https://techcrunch.com/tag/gotenna/ ## Basic Info ![[Global Mesh Labs#About goTenna]] **Typical mesh range: 4 miles** ![[Screen Shot 2021-07-09 at 3.46.27 AM.png|600]] **Supports multi-hop** "Mesh networking technology has existed for decades — but most industry standards prioritize high bitrate over range. **In off-grid environments, goTenna’s low capacity networks can scale more efficiently and more cost-effectively, extending multi-hop, peer-to-peer connectivity even further off the grid.**" ## Products - Mesh - https://gotennamesh.com/products/mesh - Pro X - https://gotennapro.com/products/gotenna-pro-x ### "goTenna with Blockstream Satellite" https://blockstream.com/2019/05/11/en-gotenna-satellite-api-integration/ **Blockstream's rationale** Traditional internet infrastructure is vulnerable to accidents or natural disasters causing outages which leave Bitcoin users and merchants unable to send payments or verify incoming payments. Having an alternative transaction channel means that the Bitcoin network becomes more resilient to disruptions. **More Private Transactions** Thanks to the ubiquity of satellite TV dishes, users can discreetly receive Bitcoin data via Blockstream Satellite and run a full node, without ever needing to send a packet onto the internet. Now, with the goTenna integration, users can also share transactions peer-to-peer and take advantage of the inherent confidentiality provided by mesh networking, since no single centralized entity controls the network. **Extending Satellite API Data** The Satellite API allows users to pay with bitcoin to broadcast messages or data globally via the Blockstream Satellite network. With the new goTenna integration, users without Blockstream Satellite hardware can still receive and relay the Satellite API data using their goTenna devices. Using mesh networking, more people can stay in touch, receive information, and pay each other in bitcoin. Even people in areas where the internet is cut off due to natural disasters, accidents, or other causes can receive encrypted data, messages from family, and other types of potentially crucial information via a single Blockstream Satellite device connected to a mesh network of goTennas. **How it works** ![[20190511_gotenna_how_it_works.jpeg]] goTenna hardware communicates with a local Bitcoin node through the [txtenna-python](https://github.com/remyers/txtenna-python) script, written by Richard Myers, Decentralised Application Engineer at goTenna. Using `txtenna-python`, users only need to obtain an [SDK token](https://www.gotenna.com/pages/sdk) and connect their [goTenna Mesh](https://gotennamesh.com/products/mesh?_ga=2.230131228.1042610581.1556544824-1659769920.1556544824) hardware to their computer via USB to: - Broadcast Bitcoin transactions from their offline full node - Relay Satellite API data received via Blockstream Satellite - Relay received transactions to the Bitcoin P2P network (if connected to the internet) **Getting Started** - To get started relaying Bitcoin transactions and Satellite API data to your local area, you need: - 1. A goTenna Mesh device: https://gotennamesh.com/ - 2. [[Blockstream Satellite]] receiver: https://hackernoon.com/building-your-own-bitcoin-satellite-node-6061d3c93e7 - To set up a goTenna device, follow the documentation for `txtenna-python` located at https://github.com/remyers/txtenna-python. - To set up a Blockstream Satellite receiver - Documentation can be found at https://github.com/Blockstream/satellite#getting-started - Video tutorials can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3QUL1B3Ix0&list=PLKMR-ntjh4LtC9Ypf6ZIme-5q1T9UMVc4 - And a list of parts for the Americas coverage area can be found at https://www.amazon.com/ideas/amzn1.account.AHH4EF7QUWTH4SHESSIXHM6H2IHQ/32NTXVS0Y48VI ### Co-founder & Chair: Daniele Perlein  https://twitter.com/danielaperlein "GoTenna was co-founded by brother and sister duo Daniela and Jorge Perdomo after they experienced widespread communications systems failures following Hurricane Sandy in New York City." from [[#Techcrunch GoTenna Mesh keeps people connected even when they're miles apart and off-grid]] ## Techcrunch: GoTenna, the startup that lets you text without cell signal, raises $7.5M and launches with REI https://techcrunch.com/2016/03/02/gotenna-partners-with-rei/ **1.8 ounce device, pairs with Bluetooth** GoTenna has created a lightweight device (1.8 ounces) that uses Bluetooth technology to pair with your smartphone and then generates long-range radiowaves to connect with other goTenna devices. That means you can send text messages and share your location (via pre-downloaded maps) even when you don’t have a cell connection. **That's only the first device - more devices and related technology to come.** GoTenna currently costs $199 for a pair of devices. Looking ahead, Perdomo said this is just the first goTenna device, and will ultimately serve as “the basis for a whole stack of technologies that we are developing — **firmware, networking protocols, software, hardware addresses — that addresses the need for totally resilient, bottoms up communication infrastructure**.” ## Techcrunch: "The GoTenna Will Let You Communicate Without Any Connectivity" https://techcrunch.com/2014/07/17/the-gotenna-will-let-you-communicate-without-any-connectivity/ **Range varies: a few miles up to 50 miles** "Depending on location, GoTennas can actually create a fairly sizable network, with ranges up to 50 miles in some places. In the city, however, surrounded by rock and steel and concrete, the GoTenna can only communicate within a few mile radius." **Battery life: 72 hours with intermittent use, 30 hours if on 24/7.** "According to the company, the GoTenna will last around 72 hours with intermittent use, and around 30 hours if it’s on 24/7. When turned off, it can hold a charge for more than a year." ## Techcrunch: "GoTenna Keeps Your Cell Phone Connected, Even When You Don't Have Cell Service" https://techcrunch.com/2015/11/29/gotenna-launch/ "Perdomo gave me a somewhat less adventurous demo when I visited goTenna’s Brooklyn offices — after downloading an app (something you probably want to do _before_ heading into the wilderness) and pairing with iOS and Android devices, **she could send text messages, even without a cell or WiFi connection.**" "**Those messages can be sent one-on-one, within groups or even broadcast to everyone nearby. (Don’t worry, you can also block people.) Users can send their GPS location as well, viewable on a pre-downloaded map** — useful whether you’re facing some emergency and need help, or if you’re just trying to meet up with a friend." "**goTenna won’t let you share anything other than text and location, at least not yet**." "**goTenna devices cost $199 per pair**. You can’t buy them individually, but hey, there’s not much point in texting alone. Perdomo noted that this breaks down to about $100 per unit, significantly less than a fancy satellite radio." ## Techcrunch Article: "GoTenna is ramping up public sector mesh networking with a $24M C round" https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/18/gotenna-is-ramping-up-public-sector-mesh-networking-with-a-24m-c-round/ **Cost: $100-500** - "For a cash-strapped NGO that goes around doing global aid, a $100-500 gadget that turns an ordinary phone into a versatile mesh node is potentially game-changing. (You can also use them to [temporarily replace destroyed communications infrastructure](https://techcrunch.com/2017/11/14/a-mesh-network-spontaneously-erupts-in-the-us-and-helps-connect-puerto-rico/).) **Best point-to-point range achieved (using UAVs): 69 miles** - “We have a long list of companies that want to integrate our tech into vehicles, aircraft, anything you can think of,” Perdomo said. “So you can put one of these babies on a UAV and let ‘er rip! Our record range, point to point from a UAV, is 69 miles.”  **Lot 49** - "Meanwhile the company is also releasing a broader open-source mesh platform called Lot 49 that’s meant to be capable of supporting a global messaging infrastructure without relying on any wireless providers. That could be a big deal for Internet of Things-type devices as well." ## Techcrunch: GoTenna Mesh keeps people connected even when they're miles apart and off-grid https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/28/gotenna-mesh-keeps-people-connected-even-when-theyre-miles-apart-and-off-grid/ **Premium service** The startup also launched its premium, [goTenna Plus service](http://www.gotenna.com/pages/introducing-gotenna-plus) today, which gives users access to offline topographic maps, read receipts for messages they send, trip statistics, automated location tracking and the ability to relay messages across traditional SMS networks when a goTenna comes within range or bounces that message to someone connected to a traditional network. **SDK** The company also released a software development kit today. According to a company statement, “The goTenna SDK allows any developer to use goTenna hardware and protocols to transmit small bursts of secure data, at long ranges, completely off-grid.” It has already been in pilot tests with the U.S. Air Force and health tech companies. **Range: 1-3 miles congested to open terrain** According to the Brooklyn-based startup, point-to-point range for the goTenna Mesh is typically up to one mile in most congested areas and up to about three miles in a typical open terrain. **Multihop messages** But the new devices allow users to privately relay a message through another goTenna user to the one they’re trying to reach if that intended recipient is out of range. So, for example, if a group is on a camping trip off-grid, and one person is injured, the group’s members could spread out but still stay in touch as one person hikes furthest away, beyond 3 miles, to seek help. The more users join a goTenna Mesh group, the more powerful it becomes, in essence. ## Techcrunch: GoTenna Pro meshing radio aspires to deploy next to rescue, fire and security teams March 27, 2017 https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/27/gotenna-pro-meshing-radio-aspires-to-deploy-next-to-rescue-fire-and-security-teams/ ==Park rangers, firefighters, NGOs whose workers go to impoverished and war-torn areas — they all liked the idea of the goTenna as an adjunct to existing mesh radio systems made by big companies== like Motorola, BAE, Lockheed and the like. These systems let you plop down a base station and then have smaller units carried around by people in the unit. Boom, an ad-hoc network only your team can access — but not only are the these devices commonly clunky, they’re also expensive as hell: think a few thousand bucks a unit for basic options. The market size is in the tens of billions. “==Search and rescue, military, aid organizations… they use these things every day. It’s like their primary mode of communication,==” Perdomo said. “But there are some out there, big NGOs even, they’re priced out the market. Or ==sometimes you’ll have coalition forces or groups that can’t communicate with each other because the product they use isn’t available overseas==.” **The Pro is much more powerful because it doesn't have the FCC-imposed limitations on consumer devices** The Pro is a lot like the original goTenna, except because the original was a consumer device, it had to be limited (FCC regulations say) in certain ways: primarily the frequencies it could access and the power it could transmit with. By designing and making the Pro available to… you know, pros, **the company can give the device access to a full software-defined radio stack with a range of VHF and UHF frequencies (142-175MHz and 445-480MHz if you’re curious), plus a much higher transmission power (5 watts)**. It’s also been further ruggedized and given a **fat battery that should last 60** hours or so. And because it uses the SMA standard for antennas, you can stick a monster aerial on there and get miles of range, no special base station needed. The Pro is light enough you could even stick it on a drone and increase your range even further. ![[gotenna-72.jpeg]] **Pro version casts $500 each** The hope is that at **$500 each**, these things could be bought by the dozen rather than provisioned one at a time. **Using one of these requires a license for the business and public safety radio bands** There’s a slight catch. This is FCC-approved for use only by people with licenses for the business and public safety radio bands. Unless you have said license, you’re not supposed to have one of these. Now technically, you can still _buy_ one_._ But _operating_ it without a license would technically be illegal. ## TechCrunchTechcrunch: goTenna Series B fuels vision to make local communication possible anywhere on the planet April 13, 2017 https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/13/gotenna-series-b-fuels-vision-to-make-short-range-communication-possible-anywhere-on-the-planet/ **Phones to walke-talkes** goTenna’s full suite of products effectively convert phones into walkie-talkies, allowing them to communicate with other local goTenna-equipped phones. The Brooklyn-based startup is targeting both consumers and enterprises, but the latter is where they are most poised to shine going forward. **Three products: goTenna, goTenna Mesh, goTenna Pro** With just $16.8 million in total financing, including today’s round, the startup has been able to develop three products: goTenna, goTenna Mesh (see [[#Techcrunch GoTenna Mesh keeps people connected even when they're miles apart and off-grid]]) and goTenna Pro (see [[#Techcrunch GoTenna Pro meshing radio aspires to deploy next to rescue fire and security teams]]). The first of these serves the aforementioned U.S. consumer population, while Mesh benefits both domestic and international users and Pro supports the public safety and enterprise communities. **goTenna Plus** goTenna Plus [...] unlocks offline mapping, read receipts and location tracking, among other things. ## Techcrunch: GoTenna is ramping up public sector mesh networking with a $24M C round June 18, 2019 https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/18/gotenna-is-ramping-up-public-sector-mesh-networking-with-a-24m-c-round/ “We’ve been busy!” said Daniela Perdomo, co-founder and CEO of the company, in an interview. “We have a good problem, which is a technology that can be so **foundationally enabling for so many use cases**.” **GoTenna’s core tech is mesh networking over radio frequencies normally used for walkie-talkies: long range but low bandwidth. Yet if all you need to send are GPS coordinates or a short message, it’s perfectly sufficient and works great where mobile and satellite connections are impractical.** Just turn on the device, smaller than a deck of cards, and you can chat over miles in the middle of nowhere with your climbing partners or back-country ski pals. ### Deprioritizing consumer tech In the last couple of years the company has shifted its priorities from consumer tech — the GoTenna and Mesh series of gadgets — to filling the needs of public-sector clients that have been asking for something like this for years. [...] We still have our consumer product, and people love it, but it’s a small part of our business compared to the public sector,” she said. [...] **Longer range, more programmable wireless parameters, compatibility with various legacy systems — the Pro and new ProX versions** of the GoTenna system hit a lot of sweet spots. As Perdomo told me when the Pro first came out, legacy systems are powerful in some ways but can also be horribly expensive, incompatible with foreign wireless systems or even have legal restrictions on where they can be used. [...] **GoTenna’s Aspen Grove is a proprietary mesh network protocol** that they’ve engineered to be faster and more robust than anything else out there. ### Deeper integration In fact, **GoTenna’s next major hardware project is to create a mesh networking board that can be integrated right into existing hardware**, simplifying the systems and baking its protocols in even deeper. “We have a long list of companies that want to integrate our tech into vehicles, aircraft, anything you can think of,” Perdomo said. “So you can put one of these babies on a UAV and let ‘er rip! "Meanwhile the company is also releasing a broader open-source mesh platform called [[Lot 49 | Lot 49]] that’s meant to be capable of supporting a global messaging infrastructure without relying on any wireless providers. That could be a big deal for Internet of Things-type devices as well." ### Relationship with Starlink, OneWeb Interestingly, Perdomo doesn’t feel threatened by the new and rather scary kid on the block: communications satellite constellations like [[Starlink]] and OneWeb. If the idea is that GoTenna lets you communicate where the grid doesn’t reach, what happens when the grid is global? “No matter how many satellites you put up, repeaters you put up, cables you lay down, you always have that last mile. You need resiliency, access, and I believe neutrality as well,” she said. And indeed you’re not going to take a Starlink ground station with you on a covert operation or into an active wildfire. And having an existing, ongoing business agreement with a satellite communications provider may not even be desirable in the first place. “There’s a reason why certain incumbents in the tactical radio space as well as carriers are partnering with us,” Perdomo pointed out — and indeed Comcast Ventures is a new face among the investors. “**We’re creating a new layer in the communications stack, mesh networks with a focus on bursty data. I think of us as perfectly complementary to every other communications company.**” "==All of the most impressive mainstream telecommunications technologies we use today, things like the internet or GPS, they hit it out of the park with the public sector first. If you can win there, in life or death situations, you know you can win everywhere else as well.==" ![[TechCrunch - goTenna in Puerto Rico]] ## goTenna Mesh Network Map https://imeshyou.gotennamesh.com/ #### A ton of nodes: ![[Screen Shot 2021-07-09 at 9.03.33 AM.png]] #### Even some nodes in South Korea... North Korea is totally doable ![[Screen Shot 2021-07-09 at 9.04.32 AM.png]]