Beartooth users can use their phones to talk, text, and find their friends on a map, all without cellular service or Wi-Fi
Bozeman, Mont. -(AmmoLand.com)- No cell service? Separated from your group? Battery is low and there is no way to contact anyone? We all feel this frustration when encountering no service.
A new hardware startup, Beartooth, launched pre-orders for their off-grid communication device ensuring you’re always connected with those around you. With Beartooth, users can talk, text, and find friends on a map, all without cell service or Wi-Fi. Beartooth, which is slightly larger than a deck of cards, pulls double-duty as a backup battery for your smartphone.
Unlike traditional handheld radios that are cumbersome and difficult to use, Beartooth pairs with your smartphone to quickly and simply connect with other Beartooth users in range. No need to worry about confusing channel settings, radio protocols, and button sequences. All of Beartooth’s powerful functionality is available at the touch of a finger in a format easily recognizable to the user. Download the app, pair the device, and go explore.
“Beartooth was born in Bozeman at Bridger Bowl Ski Area. Company cofounder, Kevin Ames, and I were separated with no service. After several hours we finally re-connected and promptly started working on a solution,” said Michael Monaghan, Beartooth CEO and cofounder. “Kevin is a former smokejumper and radio communications operator who spent his career working in environments with no cellular or Wi-Fi service. It was natural to enable the smartphone carried daily to communicate off grid.”
When most people hear radio, or walkie-talkie, they assume open channels with handfuls of people trying to communicate, chaos and confusion. Not with Beartooth. Operating in 900Mhz allows Beartooth to do things like frequency hop and encrypt voice. Frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) allows Beartooth to create almost an unlimited number of ‘virtual’ channels – keeping all of your conversations private—eliminating overlap and traffic on channels when you’re communicating with your group. In addition, Beartooth allows for encryption of both voice and text. Between these two features, you can count on your communications staying safe within your group.
Another Beartooth bonus is mesh networking—the ability to leverage other Beartooth users within range to achieve further communication. Users can communicate to Beartooth devices out of range as long as a Beartooth device within range of the two is available and can forward the message. This all happens behind the scenes so users aren’t bothered when transferring messages for other Beartooth users.
Whether you are skiing fresh powder in the backcountry or dancing at Coachella, you can now reliably stay in contact with your group in ways that were previously unavailable. During the limited pre-order campaign, Beartooth is available for $149 per pair, 50 percent off the MSRP of $298.
Beartooth specifications:
- 2.44in x 4.0in x 0.49in
- 4.5oz
- 3000 mAh Li-ion battery (4 day battery life, 5/5/90 duty cycle)
- 1W transmit power (30dBm)
- Up to -148dBm receiver sensitivity, 178 link budget
- FSK and LoRa Modulation
- USB Type-C charge port with fast bi-directional charging (2.1A)
- 900MHz digital license-free band, operating between 902Mhz to 928Mhz
- Works with iOS and Android Phones
- Line-of-sight range: 5 miles for voice, 10 miles for text
- Non-line-of-sight range: 2 miles for voice, 4 miles for text
Beartooth features:
- Individual and group push-to-talk voice
- Individual and group text messaging
- Automatic or on-demand GPS location sharing
- Offline maps: High quality 24k topographic and street maps
- Battery backup: Recharge your smartphone
- Mesh networking: for increased range
- AES 256-Bit private-public key encryption
Beartooth will start shipping to US customers late 2016. Pre-orders can be placed at www.beartooth.com.
About Beartooth:
Beartooth is a Bozeman-based hardware startup. Beartooth’s wireless communication system makes it simple for outdoor explorers and urban adventurers to communicate even if the cellular network is unavailable, failed, or congested. The advanced app running on iOS or Android makes Beartooth intuitive and delightful to use.
For more information, please visit www.beartooth.com.