SMBImesh – Off-Grid Communications

What?

Off-grid text messaging that doesn’t need the mobile phone network nor even the Internet to function. It works on a completely different network, community-owned and community-supported.

More information will be available once the feasibility study and initial trials have been completed, and if successful (looking good so far) when the implementation begins.

Why?

SMBI definitely has a need for community-supported off-grid communications because of our somewhat regular power outages, and our rather poor telecommunications infrastructure.

We have a number of vulnerable community members right across SMBI and we want to provide a way to help communications to keep happening no matter what the scenario. This could be a part of that solution.

Whilst some people may be all talk and little action, we know that listening and talking are important, but so is positive, community-supporting action.

SMBImesh will allow SMBI residents to keep in contact with people and some services during disasters, regular phone and/or power outages, and any other time people choose to use this network.

How?

By deploying a number of solar powered, battery backed up repeaters in strategic locations across SMBI, an off-grid network covering the vast majority of SMBI locations will be established, which will remain online when we have power and mobile phone network outages.

There will be some additional repeaters that are configured and ready to deploy should any of the deployed repeaters fail through weather or other causes.

People wishing to join this network will be able to do so by purchasing one of a number of affordable devices which, as long as they are charged, will allow people to either communicate directly on this network, or via a Bluetooth connection to their mobile phones (again, no mobile phone network will be used – the phone will connect to the device via Bluetooth, and the device will communicate on the off-grid network directly).

Coming Soon…

A feasibility study is currently underway, trials have already begun, and various additional devices are winging their way to us to be included in our expanding trial. Our first trials have yielded positive results, and soon we’ll have a good trial deployment that, if it shows success, will migrate over to be the start of SMBImesh.

We will start small and grow as we go. As this is currently a self-financed SMBI.Community project we can’t initially deploy right across SMBI and over to the mainland without additional funding/support – we may look for funding opportunities from community-minded businesses and organisations to grow the network and support our community.