Our communications pass through private infrastructures. We pay to use them, and when they decide to shut the service down, there’s nothing we can do about it. We’ve accepted that this is just how it works, because there seem to be no alternatives.

But an alternative does exist, and it’s simpler than you might think.

It’s called Meshtastic: affordable devices, long-range radio technology called LoRa, no mobile carrier, no central server, no subscription. A network you don’t buy — you build.

What is it for?

Exchanging messages. Encrypted messages that don’t pass through any commercial service, any cloud, any app that might one day change its terms of use or simply disappear. Messages that travel from device to device, bouncing node to node until they reach their destination, kilometers away, using very little power. The entry cost is about the price of a couple of pizzas.

Why does it make sense to do it together?

You don’t need an antenna on a rooftop and you don’t need permission from any company. But one thing is fundamental: people. A network like this only makes sense as a collective effort. A single node is an interesting object. Ten nodes in a city are an infrastructure. A hundred nodes are a different way of thinking about who owns the networks we communicate on every day.

Come find out how it works and see the devices in person!

No technical skills required.

Duration: 2 hours