[Technology] Sonnet: Off-Grid Mesh Networking

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Sonnet is a very interesting project I stumbled across while browsing crowdfunding projects the other day. It's still in development, so anything discussed could change in the final product but I think this has great potential. It's an off-grid mobile mesh networking solution, which I know to many of you will look like gibberish, but basically what it does is act like a networker repeater or router. It uses long-range frequencies in a similar bandwidth to Walkie-Talkies to connect devices over a pretty large area (up to 5km according to their indiegogo page). It's being developed by Sonnet Labs, based in Toronto, Canada.

The scenario I'm picturing using these for is maybe on a homestead or large property, you can connect wireless cameras on your property to your Wi-Fi network, allowing for a low-impact security system. This, of course, is just one of near infinite possibilities for a little device like this. You can connect one to an internet connection (Mobile dongle, ADSL router and so on) and have others wherever you need an internet connection. In fact, they work completely independently of any network infrastructure so you don't even need an internet connection to create your own mesh network.

So far, they're still in the prototyping stage technically, and they're over their predicted delivery date by quite a few months now, but that's very much the norm with crowdfunding campaigns. I wouldn't recommend you go preorder a few of these little devices just yet, maybe wait until they're actually available to purchase. They say there won't be anything like a subscription model, so if you buy a few, they're yours to use.

According to the indiegogo page, these tiny off-grid networking solutions are packing some power under the hood. It's going to be a fully-featured Linux computer, so that developers can easily build their own firmware, or integrate other devices for a more robust off-grid network. There's no details on what kind of machine will power these little boxes, whether it'll be something akin to a Raspberry Pi or not I can't tell. It'll have it's own built in Lithium-ion battery and I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to plug a powerful enough solar panel into one of these.

I can just see so many possible uses for something like this; a "glamping" site could use them to deliver high-speed internet to guests. A string of them could deliver internet to very rural areas that maybe don't have broadband yet. A outdoor activities site could use them to allow their patrons to use their mobile phones in case of emergencies (or instagram selfies I guess).

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Sonnet Labs Website

Sonnet Indiegogo Campaign

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What do you think about this nifty little off-grid mesh networking device? I've seen a similar attempt from the early Anonymous days where someone was trying to make a "pirate network", although it never got off the ground. I don't think they really knew what they were do, but they did have some grand dreams. Those dreams could soon finally be realised with the Sonnet, and if/when they finally release I will definitely be getting a couple to play around with. Let me know what you think about this gadget down in the comments section, I always enjoy reading what you have to say on these things. As always, make sure to follow me for the latest Technology, Internet and Pop Culture updates and if you enjoyed this then I'd really appreciate your upvote. Until next time guys, take it easy!

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Sources:

Sonnet on IndieGoGo (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sonnet-most-advanced-wireless-mesh-network/#/))
Sonnet Labs Website (https://www.sonnetlabs.com/)

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