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Ask HN: Alternatives to a cell phone for spontaneous communication
After years of reading articles like [0], I’m finally considering getting rid of my cell phone. However, I still like being able to call and text people out of range of a free Wi-Fi network. What are my options for achieving this? Are there companies building something in this space?
[0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18857220
- lettergram 8y agoCould get a satellite connection
- ronsor 8y agoit will be super expensive
- PaulHoule 8y agoFor non-commercial use you and your friends can become ham radio operators.
- snazz 8y agoI do have a license, actually. I’m not sure I can convince my relatives to join in on the plan, though. It would certainly work between friends with cheap Baofeng portable radios, though the range sure isn’t cross-country. Edit: range wouldn’t be cross country on VHF or UHF, which is what Baofengs use.
- ohazi 8y agoYou could build a relay system that lets you galavant across town while sending and receiving messages between your handheld radio <-> house/apartment <-> internet.
- anderiv 8y agoYou can, but not in any secret way, at least not without breaking FCC rules. Encrypted comms on Amateur radio bands aren’t permitted.
- bigiain 8y agoKinda tough to replicate the service of a nation(global)-wide cellular comms network when that's what everybody on the other end of your calls and texts are using... One option might be to use a non-cellular device (like an iPod Touch) connecting to a cellular hotspot with a "burner phone" sim (with a useable data plan)? "They" could still track that cellular device, but it'd up the ante quite a bit, since it would be very hard for an attacker to know the number. It wouldn't be "Screw you NSA, I've 'gone dark'!!!" secure, but it's probably stop a repo man or malicious ex from paying a bounty hunter to track you. If you're prepared to drop the "calls" but, and fall back to just text messaging - have a look here: https://www.thethingsnetwork.org https://www.thethingsnetwork.org - there doesn't seem to be _quite_ enough coverage where I live to get reliable connectivity out of that assuming 2-3km LoRa range (although it seems like if I put one in at my place it'd fill in a coverage gap quite nicely...)
- subway 8y agoAssuming you're OK with moving to an internet connection for replies, FLEX pagers are a reasonable way to receive alerts. You can even do something nutty like put an SMS/MMS gateway on an android phone, with notification or encrypted messages delivered 'last mile' over the pager network. I dream of a device with WiFi, LTE, and FLEX, with the ability to power on/off each subsystem individually.
- wilsonnb3 8y agoApple Watch with LTE isn’t technically a cell phone, although you still need an iPhone if you go that route. You can just keep it plugged in at home all the time though.
- guard0g 8y agoOn the ham radio side, Winlink 2000 is a mesh radio network that allows email transmission over radio frequencies. It runs parallel to the internet with nodes that interconnect the two networks. You do not need to be a ham radio operator to use the Winlink system - only if you intend to stand up a node with transmission capability. For more info see https://winlink.org https://winlink.org
- ryanmercer 8y agoJust get a faraday pouch/box for your phone? Turn it off, put it in the pouch/box, pull it out and power it on as needed. Or just turn it off when not in use.
- code_beers 8y agoWhat about a computer or tablet with a cellular modem on a cash-paid plan and a Skype account or similar service?
- luxpir 8y agoI see two options that address the concerns and goals realistically. 1. Put a dumb phone in a faraday bag for 99% of its life. 2. Keep a physical phone book and ask strangers or businesses to use their phones. Paying your way, of course.
- d--b 8y agoMaybe check how sailors do it when they’re in the middle of the ocean?
- jki275 8y agoExpensive satellite communication networks.