Tethr: Getting online in a crisis | Hacker News Reader

Tethr: Getting online in a crisis

bbc.com

36 pointssciurus17 comments

I have this functionality in a backpack. The problem is the BGAN satellite link is about $5-10k for the equipment and $3-12/MB for data, so it is effectively short text message and IRC only for me.

If you are in specific areas, it probably would be better to use a vsat like wildblue, although far less portable. At that point it basically requires a big car or station wagon to transport all your gear, and a semi skilled operator to set it up.

I'm the founder of Tethr and am really happy that you guys enjoyed the article. We're planning a lot of new things and hope you'll stay tuned.

Feel free to ask any questions you might have.

Great work! Is there a place where I could see a list of the off-the-shelf hardware used in the device?

We're still working on our website, but will have the info in due time.

Would there be interest in a kit version?

Tethr is a really cool convergence of open source software and hardware that will save lives. I'm really impressed by disaster response technology. I hope Tethr works well and is widely deployed.

Light weight related, the Open Street Maps response to the Haiti earthquake was particularly impressive. Here is a slideshow about that. http://www.slideshare.net/sabman/haiti-quake-public-key

I'm surprised to ever say the words, but copy of this BBC page for those of us in the UK?

http://www.readability.com/articles/0qieknze

Interestingly, clicking that link first redirects me to http://www.readability.com/read?url=http%3A//www.bbc.com/fut... (which shows the BBC page, with its "We're sorry but this site is not accessible from the UK" message), but if I then load your URL again it shows the article through readability just fine.

Related note, I never have and still don't understand why any BBC content is blocked for UK viewers. If it's paid for by our license fees we should have access, if it isn't and is instead funded 100% from advertising, why not show adverts to us rather than block our views?

edit: Info on the launch of "BBC Future" (which this story is under) at http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/worldwide/220212future.html - but no statement on why content "created for a non-UK audience" can't allow the UK audience to read as well.

I'm in the US and I don't know anything about the BBC's licensing, funding, etc. I do love, love, love its content.

In case you're interested, here's a quick overview, as it's an interesting and (I think) unique situation.

The BBC is publicly owned, and it's primary source of income is "the license fee". A TV license is required if you watch any live TV in the UK, and costs £145/year ($230). You need a license even if you never watch a BBC channel (there are 100s of channels - our equivalents of HBO, ESPN etc.) however you don't need a license if you never watch live TV (you can watch on-demand TV, for example through BBC iPlayer, and not have to have a license).

BBC also makes money through stuff like DVD sales, both in the UK and all over the world, and by selling shows they own to other countries (e.g. Top Gear).

Most content on the BBC website (news/etc.) is available from anywhere in the world, but if you visit from outside the UK you are shown advertising. Video content (e.g. TV shows on iPlayer) is generally not available outside the UK, however I believe this is soon to change and it will be available for a fee.

Some small amounts of content (for example this "BBC Future", that this article is from) are for some unknown reason created for a non-UK audience and does not allow viewers with UK IP addresses.

(OK, it's not easy to give a "quick" overview of the BBC, my bad.)

Maybe worth adding to the outside-of-the-UK part:

They have been offering for quite a while now the (fee based) BBC Global iPlayer. It seems rather successful despite the £44/year price-tag: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9403432/BBC-globa...

Wow time flies, had no idea it had launched already, yet alone a year ago - thanks for correcting me.

I'm stunned they've banned UK visitors from that page.

They give license payer funded content out internationally, but commercially funded is restricted to everyone but license payers?

The few links on HN to BBC site are the only value I get from the license fee - I don't watch the channels or iPlayer.

Do you not watch any TV at all? Because if not, you could just chose not to pay the license fee. (I guess unless you do watch live TV but never BBC channels.)

Alas, the definition of 'television receiving apparatus' was expanded to include a computer with internet connection some years ago. I wrote to my MP about it and the reply suggested that not having a TV set but having a broadband connection was a grey area, hinging on the issue of iPlayer use to view video as it was broadcast.

I decided to pay the licence fee just in case as a prosecution would be embarrassing.

seems like a good candidate for Kickstarter

This is exactly what I was thinking.

I can't afford a $2000 unit now or a $500 unit a year or so from now, but the possibility of having something like this available for $100-$200 3 years from now is super exciting.

I just bought my first touring bike and plan on really getting into it over the next couple of years. Having reliable intern ate access while on a long trip would be great.

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