This Satellite Messenger will keep your group connected when you’re off the grid or in crowded events where you may end up with a lot of dropped calls.
Here’s What the GoTenna Mesh Offers
- Keeps Your Friends Connected
- Great for Adventures, Travel, Emergencies & Large Events
- Send Text & GPS Locations
- Range – Up to 4 Miles
- Mesh-Networking for Private Chats
- Small, Light & Inexpensive
- Use With Any IOS or Android Phone
- Network Map
- GoTenna Plus
Let’s take a closer look at this unique and sleek looking device.
Keeps Your Friends Connected
The GoTenna Mesh will keep your group connected, even when off the grid. You can send messages and your location even without cell coverage or wifi. GoTenna allows you to send and receive private messages to anyone in your group.
Great for Adventures, Travel, Emergencies & Large Events
Whether you are off the grid camping, traveling, at festivals, large sporting events or even on a cruise ship, the GoTenna Mesh can keep you connected.
Many times the cell networks will get overloaded at large sporting events, festivals and even in some large cities when traveling. Give yourself the peace of mind that you can stay in contact with your family and/or friends, no matter where you are. One family I read about had traveled to Sri Lanka and some of the group wanted to stay at the restaurant while others wanted to go see the market. They were able to stay connected even when there were problems with the cell coverage.
Send Text & GPS Locations
Send your GPS location to anyone in your group and send/receive messages, privately. You can even transmit messages through another GoTenna user in your area that does have cell service. You can drop pins for yourself or other people in your group so you can know where to meet up.
Of course, you won’t be messaging when rafting on white water rapids, but you can when you hit calm waters or stop for a break or lunch.
Range – Up to 4 Miles
It’s easy to download the GoTenna app and pair to your smartphone then begin communicating with each other, point-to-point, up to 4 miles apart. The distance can be improved when you “piggyback” off other GoTenna users in your area.
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Mesh-Networking for Private Chats
The GoTenna Mesh network allows you to keep your messages private, even when connected to other users.
Small, Light & Inexpensive
It’s hard to get a messenger like this one that is more compact or lighter. The GoTenna Mesh weighs 1.7 ounces, is 5″ tall, 1.25″ wide and 0.5″ thick. You really might forget that you even have it on you.
Use With Any IOS or Android Phone
The GoTenna Mesh works with any iOS or Android smartphone.
Network Map
GoTenna has an extensive network throughout the United States and Europe and most other large cities around the world.
My one concern with the GoTenna network is that you need to be in cell service or in the GoTenna network areas. You can see when we zoom in closer to the southwest United State and then into Colorado and Utah, how many gaps there are in the network.
GoTenna is not the right satellite messenger for serious outdoor adventurers who want to travel to remote destinations around the world.
GoTenna Pro
Check out GoTenna Pro if you have a team that needs more options.
My Final Thoughts
The GoTenna Mesh is a great device for traveling with a group, going to a large festival or sporting event and even camping or hiking if you’re not too remote. It is extremely small and lightweight and will help you stay in contact with your friends and family when the cell service is overloaded or non-existent.
Find more information at my GoTenna Mesh page.
Please Email Me with your questions or thoughts on the GoTenna Mesh Review or Leave a Comment Below.
You can also explore more Satellite Messengers models HERE or Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) HERE.
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If you would like to see ALL the Satellite Messengers in another review, just CLICK HERE.
Check out the top 11 satellite communicators of 2023 in this YouTube video below.
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GoTenna Mesh
Pros
- Compact & Lightweight
- Customization
- Inexpensive
- Great in Large Crowds
- Helpful When Traveling
Cons
- Limited Coverage Area
- Limits to Emergency Services
Excellent review, thank you! I agree with the gaps in coverage, this one wouldn’t be great if say, I wanted to hike across Canada and Alaska in the wilderness for 6 months, but it looks like it would be useful around other areas of hiking and camping across the US, so thanks for that! An excellent suggestion to use it during sporting events. When I was in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2016 for the Kentucky Derby week, cell coverage SUCKED bad. It was really frustrating.
Honestly, this is what I think the GoTenna Mesh is most suited for. It’s for groups that want to stay connected when at large events and the cell service gets overloaded. You would still be able to communicate with your group.
Rick
It sounds like a pretty useful gadget. I’m a hiker and think this would definitely come in handy. You say you can communicate with a 4-mile distance, but then can piggyback off other GoTenna users, how would you know others are using the device?
I am thinking of purchasing something like as my young kids are starting to get interested in hiking with me, they tend to wander away, so this will help me feel more secure, knowing I can get their locations as well they will have a GPS to guide them. Great review.
Hi Eric. The only way I would go confidently into the woods with this is to know that you are within the GoTenna network or that another GoTenna user has cell service nearby. This means that someone in “your” group would need to be connected to service. I have also read where you can leave another unit at a location that has service, then you can piggyback off that device to get connection.
This really requires some research to ensure that it will work for you in the area you are traveling to.
Rick
What a fantastic device! I have a nephew in Scotland who absolutely loves hiking in the Scottish Highlands. I am definitely going to suggest that he gets this. You say that the GoTenna Mesh has a radius of 4 miles. I just want to be clear. When may nephew goes hiking, would he have to ensure that he stays with a 4 mile radius of “base camp’ in order to stay in contact? I know 4 miles is quite a distance, but I just wanted to make sure. I also have a niece who is travelling to Thailand in December for a month, so i will certainly suggest that she gets this.
Is this a rechargeable device? How long does it maintain power?
Thanks so much
Renée
Personally, I would be cautious when using it on hikes unless you are within the GoTenna network, have some cell service or are connected to other GoTenna users in the area. Your nephew will need to look into this more closely.
As far as your niece, this can be beneficially for traveling, but again you need to check their coverage map. I just checked the GoTenna coverage map for Thailand and GoTenna has no coverage there but you can still use the device if there is some cell service or if you are with a group that wants to stay connected.
This device is really interesting but you have to make sure it works for the area you are traveling to.
The battery life is approximately 27 hours and I cannot find any information that it is re-chargeable.
Rick
Thanks for this great review. I had not heard of GoTenna before now.
At first, I was excited to read about this product. I was thinking it did a peer to peer communication (like a hand-held radio) but with more bells and whistles. Now, If I read this review correctly, I find that I need to be in range of their proprietary network. To me, this is just another cell phone service in a way. Did I misinterperate what you said here?
I like the idea but, I’m skeptical of the overall usability. Is their network more robust vs. a cellular provider (i.e. covers more area)?
Thanks again. I look forward to your reply.
Scott
The coverage area is my biggest concern with this device. They have a GoTenna network and you can use the GoTenna Mesh when you have cell service, or can piggyback off another user who does have cell service.
This device is really more useful at large sporting events or when traveling when you know that you are within their network or have some kind of cell service. It can be dependent on other GoTenna users in the area also.
I have my concerns about the GoTenna Mesh, especially for what I would use it for.
This is one to watch though, as they build out their network or make improvements to the range or see more people using this technology.
Rick
gotenna seem to be one of the coolest technology I have seen in a long time, I happen to be someone who is serious about emergency preparedness, I love to go camping with friends and family and this is something I’ll be needing as I do get disappointed with the network coverage around the cabin, I’ll definitely get this to communicate digitally without using cell phone services when the need arises.
That sounds perfect. If you know you have some service in the area but it may not be reliable, you can place one device at a location that does have service and then piggyback off it and any other GoTenna users in the area would have reliable service. This would not be for phone calls, but for messaging and having access to maps when using the GoTenna app.
Rick