Emergency text networks for small towns
When the power and cell service go out, your town can still talk.
We design, install and watch over a solar-powered text network for your community. Residents can check in, ask for help and hear from the city, with no cell tower or internet in between.
In a long outage, the ways your residents reach each other fail one by one.
Cell service fades
Tower backup batteries run down, and the network jams when everyone calls at once.
Updates stall
Websites, social posts and email alerts don’t reach a house without power.
Some go unchecked
Older and rural residents have no way to say they’re OK, or that they need help.
How a message gets through
Small solar radios on homes and high points pass short texts from one to the next until they arrive.
A resident
Types on a phone, handheld radio or countertop console.
Solar relays
Pass it from site to site across town.
Neighbors
Read it on their own devices.
The city
Sees it on the dashboard, with alerts.
The radios run Meshtastic, open-source software used worldwide, on the license-free 915 MHz band at under one watt. Each one has its own solar panel and battery.
It’s all open source. You can do it yourself.
Everything we install runs on free, open-source software and radios anyone can buy. There’s no secret here, and no lock-in. If your town has the volunteers and the time, you can build a network like this on your own, and we’re happy to point you in the right direction. If you’d rather not, that’s where we come in.
Do it yourself
- Free software from the Meshtastic project
- Radios and solar nodes from about $100 each
- A friendly online community for help
- Your volunteers plan, install and keep it running
Have us do it
- A coverage drive and site plan for your town
- We recruit host homes and line up high points
- Installed, tested and handed over with training
- Our hub, dashboard and alerts, watched every day
Case study: Kasson and Mantorville, Minnesota
A working network for two towns in nine days
KM Mesh started as a neighbor project in November 2026. Volunteers host solar relays on their homes, and a hub watches every site around the clock.
Figures from the KM Mesh hub, November 10, 2026. Visit the network at kmmesh.org.
What your town gets
How we set up your town
- Coverage driveWe drive your town with test radios and map where signal reaches.
- Site planWe pick the sites and recruit host homes and high points.
- InstallWe set up every radio and the hub, and test each link.
- LaunchWe train city staff and hold a sign-up night for residents.
- MonitorWe keep watch and handle repairs from then on.
Packages
Every town is different. The consultation and coverage drive are free, and they give us what we need for an exact quote.
Starter
$3,500
A hub and three solar sites covering the town center. Grows into Town later.
Town
from $8,000
A hub and 8–12 sites, the coverage drive, staff training and a launch night.
Service
from $150 a month
Monitoring, dashboard, alerts, repairs and a yearly visit to every site.
Add-ons: a water tower or elevator site from $1,500. Home consoles $300 and handheld radios $225 for residents.
What it is, and what it isn’t
It is
- A backup way to text when other systems fail
- Independent of power, cell service and internet
- Open to any resident with a compatible radio
- Watched and maintained by us
It isn’t
- A replacement for 911, sirens or county alerts
- Voice calls or internet; it carries short texts
- Guaranteed to reach every home
- Private: town-wide channels can be read by anyone
Questions cities ask
Could we build this ourselves?
Yes. It runs on open-source Meshtastic software and radios anyone can buy. Plenty of communities build their own with volunteers. We’re for towns that would rather have it planned, installed and looked after for them, and we’re glad to talk it through either way in a free consultation.
Do we need an FCC license?
No. The radios use the license-free 915 MHz band at under one watt, the same rules that cover garage door openers and wireless sensors.
What does the city need to provide?
One point person, access to a high point such as a water tower if it fits the plan, and a mention in your newsletter or utility bill to help us find host homes. No power, internet or IT staff.
What happens if a site stops working?
The hub notices a quiet site or a falling battery and alerts us. Because messages hop between several sites, the rest of the network keeps working while we fix it.
Can residents use radios they already own?
Yes. Any Meshtastic radio set to the US region joins the town channel. We also sell ready-to-use handhelds and consoles.
Can city staff talk privately?
Yes. Besides the public town channel, we set up an encrypted channel for city staff and responders.
Start here
Book a free consultation
Talk through your town’s needs with us, whether you want us to build it or plan to do it yourself. When you’re ready, we’ll drive your town with test radios, map where a network would reach, and bring you a site plan and an exact quote. No cost, no commitment.