4 ms·

Show HN: A pager

104 points by keepamovin 11mo ago

Hello HN, I basically don't use notifications for anything. The noise is too much. Slack is too loud. Email is too slow. But sometimes you do need a note in your face. I found myself missing 1990s pagers. I wanted a digital equivalent - something that does one thing: beep until I ack it. So I built UDP-7777. Concept: - 0% Cloud: It listens on UDP Port 7777. No accounts, no central servers. You don't need Tailscale/ZeroTier/WG/etc, it's just easy for device sets. - CAPCODES: It maps your IP address (LAN or Tailscale) to a retro 10-digit "CAPCODE" that looks like a phone number (e.g., (213) 070-6433 for loopback). - Minimalism: Bare-bones interface. Just a box, a few buttons, and a big red blinker. The Tech: It's a single binary written in Go (using Fyne). It implements "burst fire" UDP (sending packets 3x) to ensure delivery without the handshake overhead of TCP. New in v2.2.7: - Frequency Tuning: Bind specifically to your Tailscale/ZeroTier interface. - Squelch: Optional shared-secret keys to ignore unauthorized packets. - Heartbeat: Visual/Audio alerts that persist until you physically click ACK. I built this for anyone looking to cut through the noise—DevOps teams handing off the "on-call IP", or deep-work focus where you only want interruptions from a high-trust circle. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the IP-to-Phone-Number mapping logic (it's purely visual, but I'm really into it). Site & Binaries (Signed for Mac/Win): https://udp7777.com https://udp7777.com

deleted 11mo ago
[deleted]
blargwill 11mo ago
Woah! The world really works in mysterious ways. I've found myself thinking in this space a lot recently. I've been working on a pager that takes the notifications from my phone and relays only the ones I want to see. I use LTE-M/NB-IOT to get connectivity anywhere and the device works and I'm looking to find a way to get a pcd/case made.. Landing page (doesn't link to anything): https://fob.launchbowl.com/ https://fob.launchbowl.com/ A little word dump of thoughts at the start of the journey: https://launchbowl.com/e_ink_pager https://launchbowl.com/e_ink_pager Your project seems really cool and allows you to bring your own hardware. Out of curiosity, have you blocked all notifications on your phone? Would this be run on your computer? Would you ever move in the direction of a physical device?
- wkat4242 11mo ago
  I'd love to get a real pager again too. But not LTE-M based because that's still a two way system so I can be traced. I just have a pretty strong desire to get my anonymity back when I want it. Not because I need it but just to feel free again.
  - ProllyInfamous 11mo ago
    US: <http://www.pagersdirect.net http://www.pagersdirect.net> I have and use one, partially for the reasons you list above. [•] Not a representative of the company, just a very happy customer.
    - wkat4242 11mo ago
      I'm in Spain, unfortunately there's apparently not s single pager network remaining :( Some other EU countries still have them but not here. Thanks for the tip though!
  - keepamovin 11mo ago
    Heh, that is exactly why I kept UDP-7777 passive. It listens on 0.0.0.0 but sends zero telemetry and requires no "online" status packet. Unless you hit ACK (which sends a packet back), you are a ghost.
- keepamovin 11mo ago
  Yes! I really want a physical device for things like this. It's cool we are both thinking about it: independent invention. That is a sick website. Love the design!
- kotaKat 11mo ago
  I am also here for an LTE-M pager… I have no POCSAG coverage anywhere near me… that would be a very nice little design.
  - deleted 11mo ago
    [deleted]
andai 11mo ago
Do you have this running on some kind of pager shaped device? What do you use it for?
ProllyInfamous 11mo ago
>I found myself missing 1990s pagers. I still use one which gets one-way service from <https://pagersdirect.net/ https://pagersdirect.net/> (~$14/mo, with phone number and pager included). Most US cities, large and small, still have active infrastructure. I live in a city with a few hundred thousand people, great coverage. This has replaced my mobile phone, which I no longer carry. It also prevents spammers from messaging... because the systems don't understand this antiquated technology [1]. For those interested, Pagers Direct has an email-to-pager option (I don't use it, phone digits only please caller, after the beep). It also has two-way pagers, which I have no experience with. One caution: for one-way pagers, if you're out of range[0] when somebody sends you text, you will never get the message (no handshake/confirmation). [0] does not use traditional cellular infrastructure [1] TBH: most humans don't either, unless you explain how to page somebody: key in your callback#/code after the beep [no audio/text] [•] I don't work for the above-linked paging service, I'm just a very happy customer.
- keepamovin 11mo ago
  That is so cool. I really want to get one (or make a hardware company that builds simple, DIY kits for them).
  - ProllyInfamous 11mo ago
    With a prepaid annual subscription, they sent me a pager for FREE. >builds simple, DIY kits for them So I highly doubt this would be profitable for you. ---- As far as the paging infrastructure is concerned, all the messages are mass-sent, in an un-encrypted analogue broadcast. EVERY device receives EVERY page, as long as within range. It is the pager itself which chooses to only display "your" message(s). Your DIY hardware could lead you into some interesting discoveries of your local area's messaging/users.
    - mbirth 11mo ago
      Yep, 20-odd years ago, I had modified a radio scanner and added a discrete output. Then used Poc32 to decode pager messages from the scanner via the PC’s sound card. Got lots of server health messages and requests to call people back. And some more personal messages, too.
aiiotnoodle 11mo ago
Really cool. I like the flashing red.
- keepamovin 11mo ago
  Thanks. I thought I should not just use a sound in case people are deaf or don't have volume on.
ProllyInfamous 11mo ago
Really neat project, see my sister comment (on analogue pagers still in service). >I'd love to hear your thoughts on the IP-to-Phone-Number mapping logic (it's purely visual, but I'm really into it). Personally, this seems like a really bad idea. The similarity to actual phone numbers might lead to confusion by non-technical high-trust contactors. Worse (e.g.) if the IP were 91.1x.x.x then this could lead to further confusion &/or erroneous 9-1-1 misdials (by inept contactors). It's a UDP packet, ought it not be in IP-format? >where you only want interruptions from a high-trust circle I don't even have a phone contact number anymore. After you page me, I'll VoIP you back from an outbound-only. But overall I LOVE that you have attempted this; only real problem for your average installer/recipient is that most home ISPs are firewalled (so a UDP7777 inbound isn't possible), but this obviously isn't for even your average technical installer. ---- Just leave me alone, world/SPAMmers! How do you prevent malicious actors from invading your 7777UDPs?
- keepamovin 11mo ago
  For anti-spam, the general use case is use of Tailscale/Zerotier where you are in control of your network. If you are on public internet and have 7777 open then you can use the Squelch filter under the CFG page. It drops every message that doesn't start with your secret::
  - robertlagrant 11mo ago
    > It drops every message that doesn't start with your secret:: Depending on how internet-proof you want to make this, I wonder if it might be better to sign with a secret and attach the signature to the message instead of directly sending the secret.
    - keepamovin 11mo ago
      I considered that! But thought for this “first public” release it might be overkill. Definitely one of the possibilities for later
mzajc 11mo ago
Is the source available? What is presented is a machine-generated website with very little meaningful information and mystery binaries for three platforms. PS: The "SHA256 CHECKSUMS VERIFIED." is static. No hash check is performed, and as far as I can see the website doesn't have a list of hashes to check.
- ProllyInfamous 11mo ago
  Thanks for this caution / opsec. ---- Public WhoIS registrant: Chris [redacted] The Dosyago Corporation Beaverton, Oregon ---- OP has ~2 year old /hn/ account, with ~11k karma ---- I have made no further investigations, but obviously haven't installed this myself (as I have an IRL pager that solves similar issues to OP's).
  - keepamovin 11mo ago
    There's also an operator manual if you're looking for more info: https://www.udp7777.com/usage.html https://www.udp7777.com/usage.html
- war-is-peace 11mo ago
  > The Protocol > The system is intentionally raw. No headers, no JSON, no XML. > Transport: UDP Port 7777 > Encoding: UTF-8 Plain Text > Format: [SECRET::]MESSAGE you dont get it, the protocol is flawless
  - waynesonfire 11mo ago
    There is another component to the protocol, > Only messages matching your Secret Key will ring. I assume that's the "Secret Key" is placed in this prefix tag, '[SECRET::]' ? Since plain-text over UDP is not very secret, I'm now motivated to look into how Wireguard is able to use PKI to only accept packets from a trusted clients. And, how that protocol could be used to generate the Secrey Key.
  - keepamovin 11mo ago
    Raw packets never lie.
koakuma-chan 11mo ago
What is "UDP-7777"? Is it some kind of software? What does it do exactly?
- leetbulb 11mo ago
  You should check out the website.
  - koakuma-chan 11mo ago
    The website does not say anything. The website offers me to download a .zip file. Why should I download a .zip file? As far as I know, a pager is supposed to be a physical object?
Western0 11mo ago
finger is better (and best is reticulum) or https://shop.exploitee.rs/shop/p/the-hacker-pager https://shop.exploitee.rs/shop/p/the-hacker-pager
swah 11mo ago
I will send my thoughts but at which number?
nineteen999 11mo ago
As someone who builds and operating a very large simulcast paging network for emergency services I can assure you POCSAG is not completely legacy ;-) very much alive and well in 2025. Definitely old but highly reliable.
- bflesch 11mo ago
  Inhowfar were you able to harden such a legacy protocol against state-actor attacks on critical infrastructure? Is it a legacy protocol in the sense of simple & robust or spoofable & floodable? Edit: To clarify, if the frequency is known couldn't they simply disable/jam all devices?
  - nineteen999 11mo ago
    The area covered in question is over 200km2. Might be hard to imagine how much RF transmission/reception equipment we have in that space. An attacker would need a lot of fairly powerful jamming equipment just to disrupt a small area of it. And our customer would advise us pretty quickly if their personnel were having reception issues and our field engineers would diagnose the source of the interference pretty quickly. So no.
    - bflesch 11mo ago
      Thanks for elaborating. Is there an extension to the protocol so it frequency hops once jammed?
antihoney 11mo ago
This arrived at the perfect time! I was discussing pagers with my friend a few days back, after he expressed annoyance at me always being offline :. unavailable, unless I made the active choice to check my notifications (something I do not enjoy at all).
- keepamovin 11mo ago
  Timing is everything!
pKropotkin 11mo ago
Good but I want POCSAG-compatible radio version like DAPNET
- keepamovin 11mo ago
  If you’re OK with plugging in an RTLSDR we could probably figure this out

Show HN: A pager

104 points by keepamovin 11mo ago

deleted 11mo ago

[deleted]

blargwill 11mo ago

Woah! The world really works in mysterious ways. I've found myself thinking in this space a lot recently. I've been working on a pager that takes the notifications from my phone and relays only the ones I want to see. I use LTE-M/NB-IOT to get connectivity anywhere and the device works and I'm looking to find a way to get a pcd/case made.. Landing page (doesn't link to anything): https://fob.launchbowl.com/ https://fob.launchbowl.com/ A little word dump of thoughts at the start of the journey: https://launchbowl.com/e_ink_pager https://launchbowl.com/e_ink_pager Your project seems really cool and allows you to bring your own hardware. Out of curiosity, have you blocked all notifications on your phone? Would this be run on your computer? Would you ever move in the direction of a physical device?

wkat4242 11mo ago
I'd love to get a real pager again too. But not LTE-M based because that's still a two way system so I can be traced. I just have a pretty strong desire to get my anonymity back when I want it. Not because I need it but just to feel free again.
- ProllyInfamous 11mo ago
  US: <http://www.pagersdirect.net http://www.pagersdirect.net> I have and use one, partially for the reasons you list above. [•] Not a representative of the company, just a very happy customer.
  - wkat4242 11mo ago
    I'm in Spain, unfortunately there's apparently not s single pager network remaining :( Some other EU countries still have them but not here. Thanks for the tip though!
- keepamovin 11mo ago
  Heh, that is exactly why I kept UDP-7777 passive. It listens on 0.0.0.0 but sends zero telemetry and requires no "online" status packet. Unless you hit ACK (which sends a packet back), you are a ghost.
keepamovin 11mo ago
Yes! I really want a physical device for things like this. It's cool we are both thinking about it: independent invention. That is a sick website. Love the design!
kotaKat 11mo ago
I am also here for an LTE-M pager… I have no POCSAG coverage anywhere near me… that would be a very nice little design.
- deleted 11mo ago
  [deleted]

andai 11mo ago

Do you have this running on some kind of pager shaped device? What do you use it for?

ProllyInfamous 11mo ago

>I found myself missing 1990s pagers. I still use one which gets one-way service from <https://pagersdirect.net/ https://pagersdirect.net/> (~$14/mo, with phone number and pager included). Most US cities, large and small, still have active infrastructure. I live in a city with a few hundred thousand people, great coverage. This has replaced my mobile phone, which I no longer carry. It also prevents spammers from messaging... because the systems don't understand this antiquated technology [1]. For those interested, Pagers Direct has an email-to-pager option (I don't use it, phone digits only please caller, after the beep). It also has two-way pagers, which I have no experience with. One caution: for one-way pagers, if you're out of range[0] when somebody sends you text, you will never get the message (no handshake/confirmation). [0] does not use traditional cellular infrastructure [1] TBH: most humans don't either, unless you explain how to page somebody: key in your callback#/code after the beep [no audio/text] [•] I don't work for the above-linked paging service, I'm just a very happy customer.

keepamovin 11mo ago
That is so cool. I really want to get one (or make a hardware company that builds simple, DIY kits for them).
- ProllyInfamous 11mo ago
  With a prepaid annual subscription, they sent me a pager for FREE. >builds simple, DIY kits for them So I highly doubt this would be profitable for you. ---- As far as the paging infrastructure is concerned, all the messages are mass-sent, in an un-encrypted analogue broadcast. EVERY device receives EVERY page, as long as within range. It is the pager itself which chooses to only display "your" message(s). Your DIY hardware could lead you into some interesting discoveries of your local area's messaging/users.
  - mbirth 11mo ago
    Yep, 20-odd years ago, I had modified a radio scanner and added a discrete output. Then used Poc32 to decode pager messages from the scanner via the PC’s sound card. Got lots of server health messages and requests to call people back. And some more personal messages, too.

aiiotnoodle 11mo ago

Really cool. I like the flashing red.

keepamovin 11mo ago
Thanks. I thought I should not just use a sound in case people are deaf or don't have volume on.

ProllyInfamous 11mo ago

Really neat project, see my sister comment (on analogue pagers still in service). >I'd love to hear your thoughts on the IP-to-Phone-Number mapping logic (it's purely visual, but I'm really into it). Personally, this seems like a really bad idea. The similarity to actual phone numbers might lead to confusion by non-technical high-trust contactors. Worse (e.g.) if the IP were 91.1x.x.x then this could lead to further confusion &/or erroneous 9-1-1 misdials (by inept contactors). It's a UDP packet, ought it not be in IP-format? >where you only want interruptions from a high-trust circle I don't even have a phone contact number anymore. After you page me, I'll VoIP you back from an outbound-only. But overall I LOVE that you have attempted this; only real problem for your average installer/recipient is that most home ISPs are firewalled (so a UDP7777 inbound isn't possible), but this obviously isn't for even your average technical installer. ---- Just leave me alone, world/SPAMmers! How do you prevent malicious actors from invading your 7777UDPs?

keepamovin 11mo ago
For anti-spam, the general use case is use of Tailscale/Zerotier where you are in control of your network. If you are on public internet and have 7777 open then you can use the Squelch filter under the CFG page. It drops every message that doesn't start with your secret::
- robertlagrant 11mo ago
  > It drops every message that doesn't start with your secret:: Depending on how internet-proof you want to make this, I wonder if it might be better to sign with a secret and attach the signature to the message instead of directly sending the secret.
  - keepamovin 11mo ago
    I considered that! But thought for this “first public” release it might be overkill. Definitely one of the possibilities for later

mzajc 11mo ago

Is the source available? What is presented is a machine-generated website with very little meaningful information and mystery binaries for three platforms. PS: The "SHA256 CHECKSUMS VERIFIED." is static. No hash check is performed, and as far as I can see the website doesn't have a list of hashes to check.

ProllyInfamous 11mo ago
Thanks for this caution / opsec. ---- Public WhoIS registrant: Chris [redacted] The Dosyago Corporation Beaverton, Oregon ---- OP has ~2 year old /hn/ account, with ~11k karma ---- I have made no further investigations, but obviously haven't installed this myself (as I have an IRL pager that solves similar issues to OP's).
- keepamovin 11mo ago
  There's also an operator manual if you're looking for more info: https://www.udp7777.com/usage.html https://www.udp7777.com/usage.html
war-is-peace 11mo ago
> The Protocol > The system is intentionally raw. No headers, no JSON, no XML. > Transport: UDP Port 7777 > Encoding: UTF-8 Plain Text > Format: [SECRET::]MESSAGE you dont get it, the protocol is flawless
- waynesonfire 11mo ago
  There is another component to the protocol, > Only messages matching your Secret Key will ring. I assume that's the "Secret Key" is placed in this prefix tag, '[SECRET::]' ? Since plain-text over UDP is not very secret, I'm now motivated to look into how Wireguard is able to use PKI to only accept packets from a trusted clients. And, how that protocol could be used to generate the Secrey Key.
- keepamovin 11mo ago
  Raw packets never lie.

koakuma-chan 11mo ago

What is "UDP-7777"? Is it some kind of software? What does it do exactly?

leetbulb 11mo ago
You should check out the website.
- koakuma-chan 11mo ago
  The website does not say anything. The website offers me to download a .zip file. Why should I download a .zip file? As far as I know, a pager is supposed to be a physical object?

Western0 11mo ago

finger is better (and best is reticulum) or https://shop.exploitee.rs/shop/p/the-hacker-pager https://shop.exploitee.rs/shop/p/the-hacker-pager

swah 11mo ago

I will send my thoughts but at which number?

nineteen999 11mo ago

As someone who builds and operating a very large simulcast paging network for emergency services I can assure you POCSAG is not completely legacy ;-) very much alive and well in 2025. Definitely old but highly reliable.

bflesch 11mo ago
Inhowfar were you able to harden such a legacy protocol against state-actor attacks on critical infrastructure? Is it a legacy protocol in the sense of simple & robust or spoofable & floodable? Edit: To clarify, if the frequency is known couldn't they simply disable/jam all devices?
- nineteen999 11mo ago
  The area covered in question is over 200km2. Might be hard to imagine how much RF transmission/reception equipment we have in that space. An attacker would need a lot of fairly powerful jamming equipment just to disrupt a small area of it. And our customer would advise us pretty quickly if their personnel were having reception issues and our field engineers would diagnose the source of the interference pretty quickly. So no.
  - bflesch 11mo ago
    Thanks for elaborating. Is there an extension to the protocol so it frequency hops once jammed?

antihoney 11mo ago

This arrived at the perfect time! I was discussing pagers with my friend a few days back, after he expressed annoyance at me always being offline :. unavailable, unless I made the active choice to check my notifications (something I do not enjoy at all).

keepamovin 11mo ago
Timing is everything!

pKropotkin 11mo ago

Good but I want POCSAG-compatible radio version like DAPNET

keepamovin 11mo ago
If you’re OK with plugging in an RTLSDR we could probably figure this out