COMMUNICATIONS FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES
NBAM
When power goes out, the internet goes down, and cell phones fail, how will emergency services communicate?
North Bay Area Mesh (NBAM) mesh is a fail-safe, digital communications network run by licensed ham radio operators. It is designed expressly to strengthen emergency communications for disaster responders, fire stations, local police, and volunteer amateur radio operators. The mesh is a regional Intranet and does not connect to the Internet.
Using readily available, low cost, and easy-to-set-up communications equipment, NBAM is expanding a volunteer-led high speed wireless mesh network. Using IP-based, high-speed networks, emergency agencies can connect to their personnel via licensed hams using instant messaging, VoIP telephony, live video streams, chat and other options to serve places where Internet access isn’t available or has been destroyed.
When everything goes down, the mesh is built to stay up and running.
North Bay Area Mesh is an organization expanding an emergency digital communications network that uses commercial off-the-shelf equipment running open-source software to create a resilient & robust high-speed network. The network is open to licensed ham radio operators.
NBAM is building an open source mesh network that will allow Marin and Sonoma counties to access the mesh. The mesh network, utilizing microwave frequencies allocated to amateur radio, will provide an alternative to emergency communications on the internet should power outages or other events render the internet unusable. It is also intended to provide an important means of disaster communication with community-based organizations, such as food banks, in underserved and rural communities.
ABOUT NORTH BAY AREA MESH
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Our team of North Bay Area Mesh volunteers are eager to help. We can walk you through everything you need to know—from buying the right equipment, where to get it, and how to set it up.