What’s Our Plan for COMMUNICATIONS?
Recommendations and expertise welcome (DN 5.X.1)
We are building out plans for our distributed nation: sovereign people in their sovereign spaces, united by shared principles and a desire to be free. A nation within nations, gradually growing in size and independence.
Instead of wallowing in the muck of the old world, we are building a new world. Our own world. That means creating alternative institutions and distinct approaches to our pursuit of freedom and happiness. In some cases, these approaches will be novel and unique; in others, we will reclaim lost knowledge.
Freedom and independence will not come quickly. We will need to be patient and play it smart. We will need to think short-term, long-term, and really long-term.
A nation such as ours will not have any central authority or planned economy. God forbid! But that does not mean that we cannot work together. Swarm intelligence and shared national consciousness will be powerful tools for us.
Let us begin taking our first steps, however tentative, upon this path.
How should a free people handle COMMUNICATIONS?
Just because you are an individual doesn’t mean that you need to be isolated or lonely. We need each other. We need to trade and cooperate. We need to live and love. This means we need to talk.
So let’s swarm this question and start figuring a few things out. Even if it’s just preliminary for now.
How should we divide up this question?
By area of concern? Privacy. Security. What happens if the internet or power goes down? How do we avoid putting all our eggs in one basket?
By scale? What communication methods are best for two people who are in geographic proximity? How about for large numbers spread over vast areas? What about across oceans?
What products or platforms are best within each communication method? Should we use GrapheneOS rather than standard Android or iOS? VPNs? Private email?
Do we want to stay reliant on other people’s platforms or build our own? (Maybe the former at first and the latter down the road?)
The internet is obviously the most convenient for now. Should we build there? Is there a risk of putting all our eggs in that one basket? Should we diversify?
I know that
has been experimenting with low-tech alternative communications methods. has expertise in communications security. has her ham radio license. and have written about the high-tech space of decentralized ledgers and blockchains.I used ChatGPT to crank out a list of communication methods, along with brief assessments of their range, security, and off-grid capabilities. That list is below. (AI gets things wrong and leaves things out, so feel free to check its work.)
Which of these do you use? Which do you like?
If you were coming up with a plan—a range of communication methods to recommend or deploy—what would that look like?
This won’t be our final word on this topic. I want to get some ideas rolling now, to facilitate developing a proper plan later.
This takes us out of the chapter's narrative flow, but I am not too bothered by that. We’ll insert these discussions here and there, gather good ideas, and then I will use the information we develop to create more formal recommendations.
1. Face-to-Face and Physical Communication
In-Person Conversation (Range: direct | Security: excellent | Off-Grid: yes)
Paper Notes / Couriers (Range: unlimited | Security: good if trusted | Off-Grid: yes)
Visual or Acoustic Signals – flags, lights, horns, bells, etc. (Range: local / line-of-sight | Security: low | Off-Grid: yes)
2. Short-Range Radios
FRS (Family Radio Service) (Range: 0.5–2 mi | Security: low / unencrypted | Off-Grid: yes)
MURS (Multi-Use Radio Service) (Range: 1–5 mi | Security: low / unencrypted | Off-Grid: yes)
CB (Citizens Band) (Range: 1–5 mi handheld / more with vehicle | Security: low | Off-Grid: yes)
3. Medium-Range and Repeater-Based Radios
GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) (Range: 1–10+ mi with repeaters | Security: low / unencrypted | Off-Grid: partial — repeaters need power)
HAM Radio (VHF/UHF) (Range: local to regional | Security: low / open air | Off-Grid: yes)
LoRa / LoRa Mesh (Range: 1–10 mi | Security: moderate / optional encryption | Off-Grid: yes)
Meshtastic / goTenna (Range: 2–10 mi | Security: moderate / encrypted | Off-Grid: yes)
4. Long-Range and Global Systems
HAM Radio (HF Bands) (Range: global | Security: low / open air | Off-Grid: yes)
Satellite Phones (Range: global | Security: moderate / provider-visible | Off-Grid: mostly yes, requires sky view)
Satellite Messengers (Garmin inReach, ZOLEO, etc.) (Range: global text | Security: moderate | Off-Grid: yes, needs sky view)
5. Encrypted Digital and Internet-Based Communication
Signal (Range: global | Security: very high / end-to-end encrypted | Off-Grid: no)
Session (Range: global | Security: very high / decentralized / metadata-resistant | Off-Grid: no)
Briar (Range: local via Wi-Fi/Bluetooth or global via internet | Security: very high | Off-Grid: partial, works locally without internet)
Element / Matrix (Range: global | Security: high / federated encryption | Off-Grid: no, unless self-hosted)
Proton Mail / Tutanota (Range: global | Security: high / encrypted email | Off-Grid: no)
SimpleX Chat (Range: global | Security: very high / no metadata | Off-Grid: no)
Nostr (Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays) (Range: global | Security: moderate — content encrypted but metadata public | Off-Grid: partial via private relays or alternative transports)
6. Privacy-Focused Networking Tools
Tor (The Onion Router) (Range: global | Security: high anonymity | Off-Grid: no)
I2P Network (Range: global | Security: high anonymity | Off-Grid: no)
VPN Services (Range: global | Security: moderate / hides IP but not provider | Off-Grid: no)
Offline Mesh Apps (Bridgefy, etc.) (Range: local via Bluetooth/Wi-Fi hops | Security: moderate | Off-Grid: yes, limited range)
7. Infrastructure-Dependent Conventional Systems
Cellular Calls and SMS (Range: regional to global | Security: low | Off-Grid: no)
Wi-Fi and Broadband Internet (Range: local to global via infrastructure | Security: moderate to low | Off-Grid: no)
VoIP (Zoom, Skype, etc.) (Range: global | Security: variable | Off-Grid: no)
Social Media Messaging (Range: global | Security: very low | Off-Grid: no)
Powerline Communication (PLC) (Range: within a building | Security: low | Off-Grid: depends on grid power)
8. Hybrid and Localized Systems
Private LTE / 5G Networks (Range: local / campus | Security: high if self-controlled | Off-Grid: partial)
LoRa / Mesh Radio Networks (Range: up to several miles | Security: moderate | Off-Grid: yes)
9. Quick Privacy and Resilience Summary
Most Private: Signal, Session, SimpleX, Briar, face-to-face, ProtonMail.
Most Off-Grid: HAM, MURS, CB, FRS, LoRa/Meshtastic, satellite devices.
Most Vulnerable: Cellular calls, SMS, social media, unencrypted email.
Best Balance: LoRa mesh or HAM for resilience; Signal or Session for privacy.
Short wave radios can be purchased without any licence in the USA and Canada, not only for receiving but also for transmitting. It is possible to transmit on the emergency channels without any licence, though these channels are not meant for your trivial communications. The amount of energy you put behind your transmission determines the range although interference from other transmitters on the same channel can reduce how far your transmission gets. When the sun is in the sky, its radio transmissions are substantial, which is why the reception for AM stations from far away is possible at night - you may be receiving a signal bounced off the Heaviside layer. Ham radio enthusiasts have built a number of OSCAR satellites which provide data store and forward and other transmission services. So, you can find out a great deal more about radio frequency communications by talking to radio enthusiasts, and there are entire networks of channels on the air and on the web, email list services, and other ways of getting in touch with these communities.
Many things that "have to be licensed" are not and the enforcement is very uncertain. Some places get a lot, some get none. So far none of the radio equipment requires you to put in a licence document to get them up and running, which should be food for thought.
There are encrypted apps for end to end communications, and some of them are more equal than others. Follow me for more info, or consider a subscription to TheSecurePerimeterInstitute here on substackistan.
I’m not so knowledgeable with communication but I do have lots of experience with networking.
Americans are some of the most generous people in the world. There’s no better feeling you get than when you help someone. Lately some of the most positive feelings I’ve gotten deep down inside is when I help someone many times when they don’t expect it.
A few years back I stripped and reroofed a neighbors house in New Hampshire. The family is pretty well off but I really wanted to just help them. Since then any time I need them to check on my house or need a hand they are more than willing to help me. Although I worked really hard it has made a lifelong connection with them.
I did this with another neighbor there and he’s plowed my driveway for years now. I have done other jobs for him as well. It’s created a neighborly friendship.
Helping someone doesn’t always have to be a job either. This past spring I was driving into Home Depot to get materials for my days work. I didn’t get far into the parking lot and I saw a wallet sitting on the asphalt, I stopped and picked it up. I took a look and there was a folded bunch of 20 dollar bills, some foreign currency, a family picture and of coarse a man’s drivers license. It appeared the man was originally from India and a picture showed his wife and two children. I googled his name but couldn’t find a phone number. He lived 2 towns away, so I decided I’d go in to get my materials and then drive to his house and drop the wallet off. It was a bit of a drive, when I got there I knocked on the door. An Indian woman hesitantly opened the door and in brocken English said can I help you. I told her I found her husbands wallet at Home Depot, knew he must have been worried, and wanted to get it back to him. She said he had called her and was a nervous wreck. She thanked me and I left. She didn’t take my number or my name but I’m sure the hour I took out of my day made a positive impact in those peoples lives. The good feeling I got was all the reward I needed.
It may be a little off topic of communication but a network of people, one that can help another is extremely important, especially people with integrity. I believe this is another big piece of creating an alternative community.
I wanted to share this story with you to give you a feeling of how small common day to day actions can make huge changes in the world we live in. So many times it’s our ordinary routine actions that can make the biggest difference. In John 6 there was a woman that had no idea how much she mattered, and how God was going to use something routine in her life to have such a tremendous impact on others. Her list of things to do was as long as usual but first she had to pack a lunch for her son. She only had two small fish left over from dinner and 5 small loaves of bread. As she began packing his lunch, she never would believe what would happen later that day. There was a huge crowd of people listening to Jesus teach. It was late in the day and they asked Jesus if they should dismiss the people so they can go find food. Jesus said you feed them. They were puzzled and said we don’t have that kind of food to feed all these people. Jesus asked well what do you have. So they searched the whole crowd and all they came up with was the little boys lunch with the two fish and the five loaves of bread. They gave it to Jesus, he blessed the food and it multiplied and ended up feeding over 5000 people, with twelve baskets of food left over. We hear a lot about the miracles of multiplying the food and I’m sure you have heard that story but it all started with a mother being faithful. She thought it was just a routine day checking off her to do list but it was part of a much bigger plan, something she couldn’t see right then. A divinely orchestrated moment that years later would still be inspiring us. That’s the butterfly effect. The relationship between small movements and big events. How could something as routine as taking care of your family have that kind of effect. Going to work being your best and doing it all over again. It feels so normal. You’ll never know the impact of your faithfulness. Keep honoring God, being good to people, going the extra mile you’re making a difference.
The scripture says don’t despise the day of small beginnings. God loves to take our small and do big things. He’ll use what we consider insignificant or ordinary to have a tremendous impact. Your steps are being ordered by the Lord. God has these destiny moments. It can seem ordinary but you don’t know what God is up to. As you keep being faithful in your everyday life you will be openly rewarded by God.