A Library in Every Pocket

1bit · 2020-10-19T16:50:28.225Z

Lantern Summer Sale

$149 USD

This is $20 less than the normal amount–a continuation of our popular Spring Special “A Library in Every Pocket.” Receive continuous content from space. Stay informed when disaster strikes, and never be off the grid again. You are supporting the creation of Humanity’s Public Library. Free global shipping is included with this perk.

Just looking at what I have paid for it and what it promised…

A Library in Every Pocket.
Receive continuous content from space.
Stay informed when disaster strikes, and never be off the grid again.

Are these still same goals for the “Lantern”?

maxboysdad · 2020-10-19T22:35:10.763Z

Bump to @Syed

Syed · 2020-10-19T22:47:16.944Z

Yes, the goals are the same.

1bit · 2020-10-20T10:51:07.576Z

And is there any update on the Lantern/Lanter2/LanternX?

Tysonpower · 2020-10-20T20:13:26.110Z

The currently Selling Dreamcatcher offers many features already and the Satellite Signal is offered in the US and Europe today.

I have no worries that Syed will get the lantern into Production in the Future.

1bit · 2020-10-21T09:00:23.795Z

I have no worries about that as well, question is when?
Will it be too late?

Anyone heard about this File-Casting project “knapsack”?
Credible and working alternative?
https://knapsackforhope.org/filecasting
I quote " With a minimum data transfer rate of 1Mbps,File-Casting allows the transfer of tens of GigaBytes of digital data per day ### 100 Times Faster Than any Available Comparable Technology!"

When you search for “coverage” this forum you will soon realise
that someone will have to pay for the satellite to transmit the data,
so the “receiver - LanternX” when finished and working is the least what should worry
people invested into this project and
@Syed already come up with idea, get an non-Government Organization (NGO) to pay for it

Like, this one:

Signal coverage in Afghanistan General Othernet Discussions

@mahmood, did you get an reply from @Syed on this one?

When asked about the cost, @Syed fell silent again.

This forum is scattered with post that have been UN-answered.

It sounds very good, great product for remote places but someone got to “PAY” for the data to be broadcast to those remote areas, covering US of A and EU (with delay of few years) where access to the same information being transmitted is easily available does not make a sense.

The main website https://othernet.is has nothing mention there about
the company (is it a company or non-profit), who is behind it, where is the “About”?

Who is being othernet?

Syed · 2020-10-21T17:16:37.340Z

I don’t have a when. The reason for that is because the only way that Othernet ends up being useful to the places that actually need the service is by bringing the cost of the receivers down. As everyone on this forum already knows, the entire system already works. Yes, we can deliver receivers based on the current Dreamcatcher, but that doesn’t do anything to support the original goal of the project. I’ve spoken with many, many people who work in the area of educational content delivery in remote areas and the universal feedback has always been that a $100 receiver is a failure.

Fortunately, there have been some recent developments which will help to reduce our own costs for producing the receiver. That is currently in active development. And we are seeing now more than ever (due to Covid school closures) that there is a definitely a place for a low-cost satellite CDN (content delivery network) which focuses on educational content.

Yes, Knapsack for Hope works fine. It’s a similar type of service; broadcast data. Our focus has always been to reduce the size of the receiver and not require a dish for reception. It may have been a mistake to focus on this particular differentiator, but so it goes. In 2014 we had a system similar to that of Knapsack. We also had global coverage from 7 different beams. And users were able to upload their own content through a web interface. In retrospect, I should have just stuck with all of that stuff. The consumer hardware business is tough!

The cost of a channel has been answered a few times in the past. I missed the question about a new channel in Afghanistan. It’s $50,000 per year for a new channel. Getting an NGO to pay for it is a valid idea, but it’s easier said that done. I have yet to have an NGO as a reliable customer. However, I have had a non-profit organization fail to meet the obligations of a contract they signed.

The reason that coverage exists over the USA and EU is because individual customers are able to easily purchase the receivers. In less developed parts of the world, a distribution channel is required, which requires some organization or company to purchase a bulk number of receivers at a discount and then resell those locally. I have yet to find any serious organization interested in doing this.

There is an organization interested in being a distributor in Africa, but they need a local demonstration to move forward and I’m just not interested in speculatively adding new channels anymore. In six years of doing this, I have not had a single free demo turn into a long term agreement.

JohnnyColeman · 2020-10-26T20:17:41.902Z

What comes to mind first is an SDR and a small yagi antenna.

Tysonpower · 2020-10-27T08:23:44.575Z

A SDR is way more expensive then the dedicated hardware Receiver they use at the Moment.
SDRs (i love them belive me) also need much more processing and with that more Energy as well as more expensive SOCs.

Also a Yagi is way bigger and with that more visible then just a small LNB.
That is very important for countries that don*t allow Big Antennas in general or hunt down people that try to go around their Control of Information.

JohnnyColeman · 2020-10-30T01:51:05.661Z

Thanks for the necessary background. There is so much I don’t know but that is what keeps me going.

Johnny
KE5YRV

1bit · 2022-11-03T15:25:15.689Z

Syed:

I don’t have a when. The reason for that is because the only way that Othernet ends up being useful to the places that actually need the service is by bringing the cost of the receivers down. As everyone on this forum already knows, the entire system already works. Yes, we can deliver receivers based on the current Dreamcatcher, but that doesn’t do anything to support the original goal of the project. I’ve spoken with many, many people who work in the area of educational content delivery in remote areas and the universal feedback has always been that a $100 receiver is a failure.

Fortunately, there have been some recent developments which will help to reduce our own costs for producing the receiver. That is currently in active development. And we are seeing now more than ever (due to Covid school closures) that there is a definitely a place for a low-cost satellite CDN (content delivery network) which focuses on educational content.

Yes, Knapsack for Hope works fine. It’s a similar type of service; broadcast data. Our focus has always been to reduce the size of the receiver and not require a dish for reception. It may have been a mistake to focus on this particular differentiator, but so it goes. In 2014 we had a system similar to that of Knapsack. We also had global coverage from 7 different beams. And users were able to upload their own content through a web interface. In retrospect, I should have just stuck with all of that stuff. The consumer hardware business is tough!

The cost of a channel has been answered a few times in the past. I missed the question about a new channel in Afghanistan. It’s $50,000 per year for a new channel. Getting an NGO to pay for it is a valid idea, but it’s easier said that done. I have yet to have an NGO as a reliable customer. However, I have had a non-profit organization fail to meet the obligations of a contract they signed.

The reason that coverage exists over the USA and EU is because individual customers are able to easily purchase the receivers. In less developed parts of the world, a distribution channel is required, which requires some organization or company to purchase a bulk number of receivers at a discount and then resell those locally. I have yet to find any serious organization interested in doing this.

There is an organization interested in being a distributor in Africa, but they need a local demonstration to move forward and I’m just not interested in speculatively adding new channels anymore. In six years of doing this, I have not had a single free demo turn into a long term agreement.

… by bringing the cost of the receivers down.
I understand that the cost of the receiver is important factor but targeting who exactly?
Schools/individuals in poor/remote regions, travellers people with disposable income who can perhaps fund more expensive version?
How many people will or can this serve? Is it for people who are mobile or does the device meant to be portable?
If portable with the speed it downloads data is unusable for travellers

… feedback has always been that a $100 receiver is a failure.
I paid my 149 USD for device that is portable, solar powered and I can as per your IGG campaign:
Lantern: A Global Satellite Data Radio - Download digital media even where there is no internet. Weather maps, disaster alerts, ebooks. Free.
Like the Knapsack deployed its first Content Station in a rural school in Mexico, offering teachers and students unparalleled access to always up-to-date educational programs and engaging resources for digital learning, do they need a device that is portable/small?

Can’t you have 2 models one for backpackers that need portability and one for stationary use in schools etc.?

… The consumer hardware business is tough!
Yes I agree …but there is a loot of competition building up.

Knapsack for Hope.
StarLink.
Lynk Global (Lynk Tower 1, …) Sat-LTE based.
AST SpaceMobile (BlueWalker 3) Sat-LTE based.

… fail to meet the obligations of a contract they signed.
Well I am not surprised about the NGO’s … Othernet Inc. is for profit organisation …to make money to those that invested
in it - Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) [George Soros’s Open Society Institute, Vučinić and the late Washington Post
journalist Stuart Auerbach] so maybe changing a structure to .ORG may be the key in breaking in…I am sure that plenty of people learned from the FOR PROFIT/LOCK IN CUSTOMERS model …

… The reason that coverage exists over the USA and EU is because
I think you are neglecting Asian markets, China etc. where can be potential …

… I have not had a single free demo turn into a long term agreement.
again, maybe try changing the model from FOR PROFIT/LOCK IN CUSTOMERS …
offer ability to transmit specific information or even better managing own HeadEnd unit for sending specific content,
at the moment I think Othernet is so restricted …