JrHagler
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![[*]](./images/Pinky/default_icon.gif) posted on 9.30.2014 at 01:07 PM |
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FireChat, a new way to communicate, MeshNetworking
As throngs of pro-democracy protesters continue to organize in Hong Kong's central business district, many of them are messaging one another through
a network that doesn't require cell towers or Wi-Fi nodes. They're using an app called FireChat that launched in March and is underpinned by mesh
networking, which lets phones unite to form a temporary Internet.
So far, mesh networks have proven themselves quite effective and quickly adopted during times of disaster or political unrest, as they don't rely on
existing cable and wireless networks. In Iraq, tens of thousands of people have downloaded FireChat as the government limits connectivity in an effort
to curb ISIS communications. Protesters in Taiwan this spring turned to FireChat when cell signals were too weak and at times nonexistent.
And FireChat's popularity is surging in Hong Kong. About 100,000 users downloaded the free FireChat app between Sunday morning and Monday morning,
according to The Wall Street Journal. While there are no reports of cell-network outages so far, student leaders are recommending FireChat for fear
authorities may shut off communications.
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