Being able to communicate with family, friends and colleagues during a natural disaster is critical. Unfortunately cell service can be spotty at best if towers are hit by a storm or services are overloaded by users trying to call for help or to notify others that they are ok. goTenna is a device that works with your smartphone and turns it into what is essentially a CB radio, allowing you to send and receive messages even when no cell service is available.
Weighing in at just 2 ounces, goTenna is a small aluminum and polycarbonite device that is water-resistant and dust-tight. Pair your smartphone with goTenna using Bluetooth-LE and type out a text message or share your location on the goTenna app. Your smartphone will send the message to the goTenna which will then broadcast the message via long-range radio waves. Private messages “are end-to-end encrypted with 224-bit elliptic curve public-private key ciphering” making them very secure while “shout” and “emergency” messages are sent unencrypted. Messages will also be delivered with automatic retry on failure.
goTenna provides free, detailed offline maps of the whole world and the app allows sharing of locations and recording points of interest on the maps. There’s also the ability to locate friends with goTennas on the map.
goTenna is sold in twos — one for you, another to share with a friend — so you can stay connected to each other and anyone else who has goTenna. goTenna will be available this winter but can be pre-ordered for $149.99 per pair or $289.99 for four.
For more information on solutions for running your businesses’ technology more efficiently, visit our website or contact Megan Meisner at mmeisner@launchpadonline.com or 813 448-7100 x210.