goTenna Keeps You Connected

Whether you’re at a festival, in the backcountry on an epic hike or simply out in the woods somewhere, the goTenna provides an excellent alternative to staying connected if you find yourself without cell reception. The goTenna came to life as a result of the heroic people involved in search and rescue and disaster recovery efforts following Hurricane Sandy when those who were looking for those affected by the storm and possibly trapped found themselves unable to stay in contact with their colleagues owing to a lack of service.

© goTenna

The goTenna alleviates this worry by connecting to a user’s existing Android or iOS smartphone via Bluetooth-LE and this ruggedly built, pocket-sized, two-way radio and antenna allows for the sending of messages and GPS coordinates as far away as 50 miles to another connected user. As a result the goTenna is always sold in pairs, but other users can be added to the group if they have their own device.

The GPS information isn’t terrifically usable or helpful on its own without cell or WiFi, but this is alleviated by the included apps and offline maps that cover nearly the whole world and are free to use for goTenna owners.