Off-Grid Crypto Transactions Get Closer to Reality

A New Zealand developer sent two signed Bitcoin transactions to his girlfriend's crypto wallet on Monday using only radio signals and a cheap smartphone while offline and not connected to a cell network.

The farthest transaction was sent from 12.6 kilometers away.

Over the weekend I sent a bitcoin transaction to a relay 12.6km away with no cell network or internet connection.

Coinsure October 16, 2018.How He Did It.The Auckland developer used four devices called goTennas, short-range radios that pair with a user's smartphone to send signals to another user via ad-hoc mesh networks.

To his $26USD phone, along with the offline wallet app Samourai Wallet, to conduct the transactions over his short-range offline radio network.

He generated these transactions as goTenna messages.

"The mechanics of the setup was this. My. $40 phone with no connection outside gotenna would broadcast a signed bitcoin transaction generated in Samourai wallet as a gotenna message, to my girlfriend's phone with a cellular data and gotenna connection."

Not Totally Off-Grid Yet.There were some hiccups along the way - one transaction didn't go through, due to issues with app pairing - but the success of the other two transactions hints at something that may have much broader applications.

Theoretically, this network could operate completely off the conventional internet grid if it were solar powered.

The only equipment involved in this particular endeavor were the four goTenna radios, a cheap cell phone, and materials used to secure and place the radios.