goTenna Launches goTenna Mesh to Take Off-Grid Communication Further

goTenna Launches goTenna Mesh to Take Off-Grid Communication Further: International Expansion & First-of-Its-Kind Mesh Networking Technology – Available now for preorder, goTenna Mesh uses military-grade mesh networking tech so you can text and share GPS locations up to several miles with friends — and relay messages through other users

BROOKLYN, NY (Sept. 28, 2016) — goTenna, the company that last year released the first and only device that enables smartphone users to communicate without cell towers, wifi routers or satellites, today introduces a new breakthrough product: goTenna Mesh, the first 100% off-grid, mobile, long-range consumer-ready mesh network device, which will be available internationally. The announcement comes along with the launch of goTenna’s premium service, goTenna Plus, and the release of the goTenna open Software Development Kit (SDK).

goTenna Mesh pairs with any iOS or Android device to allow users to text and share GPS locations, up to several miles away depending on terrain and elevation. This is the first goTenna product that will be available outside the United States and it will be sold in pairs for $179 but is available in limited quantities at promotional pricing (starting at $129) today on a preorder basis before shipment begins later this year.

The company’s first product, goTenna, will now be available at $149 for a pair. No subscription is required, in line with the company’s commitment to empowering people to create communication on their own terms.

Watch goTenna Mesh in action here: https://youtu.be/Ite5XEN9u-k

“We’re addressing something bigger than just unreliable service,” says Daniela Perdomo, goTenna’s co-founder and CEO. “From the onset, our mission has been to create bottom-up, people-powered connectivity that can run parallel to top-down communications infrastructure. We’re set on redefining communication based on need as opposed to access, and with goTenna Mesh, we’re one step closer to achieving this on a larger scale. It starts being useful when you don’t have service, but we believe mesh networking of this kind will soon be a part of the everyday communication stack.”

goTenna Mesh is anchored by intelligent mesh protocols (named “Aspen Grove”) that deliver a 100% off-grid, entirely mobile, long-range mesh network. Such a technology has never been achieved outside hulking military tactical systems that cost tens of thousands of dollars per unit.

Without the need for typical network infrastructure, goTenna Mesh generates its own independent long-range radio waves, offering users a secure way to text and share GPS locations on free offline maps. Point-to-point range is typically up to one mile in most congested areas and up to about three miles in a typical open terrain. Regardless of where you are in the world, goTenna Mesh intelligently selects appropriate, publicly available frequencies in the UHF spectrum.

goTenna Mesh is smaller, sleeker than goTenna’s flagship product, and provides even greater utility thanks to the introduction of mesh networking. By automatically and privately relaying your message through other users if your recipient(s) are not within point-to-point range or are otherwise obstructed, you can effectively double or triple your range and be likelier to get a message through in difficult situations. Unlike traditional communication networks, goTenna Mesh gets stronger the more users join it, though it can be useful for even just two users at a time.

goTenna Mesh’s high-level features include (find full specs at end of release):

• Dynamic protocols react to network changes in real time and enable users to send messages 1-to-1 and in groups as well as count on delivery confirmation receipts

• Mesh to extend range through other users automatically and privately; the power of the goTenna Mesh network is that it’s built on people, making it as dynamic, scalable and resilient as the humans who use it

• End-to-end encryption ensures 1-to-1 and group chats remain private

• Public “shout” broadcasts can connect you to others nearby in case of fun or emergencies — used at DEFCON, Burning Man, ski resorts, Yosemite and more

• Compact size makes it easy to pack on any adventure & have on you at all times

• International availability addresses pent-up international demand for goTenna’s groundbreaking technology

Like the original goTenna, whether you’re spending time outdoors, packed into a crowded event, traveling overseas and in rural areas, or find yourself in an emergency situation, goTenna Mesh keeps you connected in an even more powerful way.

goTenna Plus, the company’s new premium service, offers goTenna users special features previously unavailable. Plus will be free for the first 30 days, and then $9.99 for the rest of the year ($29/yr thereafter). goTenna Plus gives users access to detailed topographic maps, trip statistics, network relays into traditional SMS, automated location tracking and sharing for trusted contacts, and group delivery confirmation receipts (Link to Plus Page). It should be noted that the network relay feature is the first time off-grid goTenna users can plug into traditional communication networks.

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. The SDK is designed to be incredibly simple, with SDK users reporting integration times of less than 2 hours for full functionality. While in beta this summer, the SDK has been used by groups ranging from the U.S. Air Force to health tech companies.

The company’s first product started shipping last year and emerged as the leading next-generation off-grid communication device, spanning buyers in atypical early adopter markets in rural America like Montana, Utah, Wyoming, and Alaska. Since then, goTenna raised Series A funding from prominent investors like Walden Venture Capital, MentorTech Ventures, BBG Ventures (a subsidiary of Verizon), and Bloomberg Beta. In addition, goTenna secured a grant funded by HUD through the RISE:NYC competition, and secured national retail partnerships with Amazon and REI to make its mission of easy, affordable, intelligent off-grid communication a reality.

Available for preorder on Kickstarter for the next 30 days, a portion of funds raised will be donated to the international non-profit Telecom Without Borders (Télecoms Sans Frontières – TSF) to support their work setting up humanitarian communications operations in crises and disasters throughout the globe, from Syria to Burkina Faso and Nepal to Haiti. TSF is often the first on the ground setting up emergency communications for disaster response, in refugee camps and at medical facilities.

To learn more about goTenna Mesh, visit their Kickstarter page.

About goTenna:

Based in Brooklyn, goTenna is the first and only company to enable anyone to use their phones to text and share GPS location regardless of cell service, wifi or even satellites.

In 2014, goTenna launched its award-winning, flagship device that quickly became synonymous with next-generation off-grid communications. Now, goTenna is the first to commercialize a 100% off-grid, mobile, long-range consumer-ready mesh network with the release of goTenna Mesh, a smaller, internationally-available device that allows users to connect over greater distances by automatically and privately relaying messages through one another.

goTenna was co-founded by siblings Daniela and Jorge Perdomo whose vision to create resilient, people-powered connectivity ignited during Hurricane Sandy when up to a third of cell towers and power stations were knocked out. The company is backed by notable investors like Walden Venture Capital, MentorTech Ventures, BBG Ventures (a subsidiary of Verizon), and Bloomberg Beta.