If you like going off the grid with friends for adventure, then you’ve probably experienced losing a member of the group at some point. It’s fine if you can get cell signal in the area (just call them up), but if you can’t, things can quickly turn into a worrisome affair. That won’t be a problem if you had the GoTenna.
No, it won’t quite patch you up to the missing network provider signals in whatever far-flung areas you find yourself in. Instead, it’s designed to create a private channel where you can communicate with other goTenna users within range.
The goTenna does two things: it pairs to a phone over Bluetooth and generates a radio signal that allows your phone to communicate with anyone else hooked up to a goTenna in the vicinity. It doesn’t allow calls, so you can’t quite talk to friends, although you can send messages, so you can easily coordinate with friends who found themselves separated from the pack. The accompanying app also comes with detailed offline maps, so you can share locations, making it just a bit easier to reunite with a group.
Features include a 50.5-mile range, an onboard memory that stores received messages when it’s not paired to a phone (it can hold several hundred), and a compact size that makes it easy to hang on a bag loop for convenient storage. Do note, the onboard battery only comes with 24 hours of standby time, so you might want to make sure you have a power bank on hand to keep this thing running in case of emergency.
Available now, the goTenna is priced at $199.