NeighbourNet: The Offline Community Server

NeighbourNet is a compact appliance (about the size of a router) that any household can install. It connects to the home's existing router and broadcasts a local WiFi network. Once a family joins, they gain access to a suite of applications: a local file share (think a physical Dropbox that never touches the internet), a community marketplace (buy/sell/give with neighbors), a messaging board (persistent, group or private), and a calendar for block parties or tool libraries. Multiple NeighbourNets can mesh together using 802.11s, forming a town-wide intranet that works even when the internet goes down. No cloud servers, no accounts with Big Tech, no data leaving the neighborhood. The business model: sell the hardware at cost (~$150) and offer optional premium support subscriptions for advanced features like off-site backups via sneakernet or extended mesh routing. The vision is to rebuild local digital trust and resilience, one street at a time.

Modern neighborhood interactions are mediated by global platforms (Nextdoor, Facebook Groups) that extract data, require always-on internet, and erode local privacy. When the internet is out—due to storms, outages, or censorship—communities lose their digital connection. Local commerce, emergency coordination, and simple neighborly chats become impossible. NeighbourNet solves this by providing a fully offline-first, community-owned alternative that strengthens local ties without compromising privacy or reliability.

• Ship 1,000 units to 10 pilot neighborhoods within 12 months
• Achieve 70% monthly active user rate among households within a mesh
• Enable 10,000 local transactions (trades, sales, giveaways) in the first year
• Maintain zero cloud dependency: all services run locally on the mesh
• Secure at least 50% of units purchased by homeowner associations or community groups

• Replace the global internet or provide general web browsing
• Become a social media platform with feeds, ads, or viral content
• Store or process any user data off-device (no cloud analytics, no telemetry)
• Support real-time video streaming or high-bandwidth applications
• Offer a mobile-first app (the interface is web-based, optimized for desktop and embedded browser)

• Hardware: Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (2GB RAM), custom PCB with dual-band WiFi 5 (2.4/5GHz) and microSD slot (capacity: 128GB), PoE-capable USB-C power, optional solar hat for off-grid operation
• OS: Raspberry Pi OS Lite + custom scripts for mesh networking and service orchestration
• Mesh: batman-adv (B.A.T.M.A.N. Advanced) over 802.11s, with automatic peer discovery
• File sharing: Syncthing (peer-to-peer, no central server)
• Messaging & events: Matrix server (Dendrite) configured for local-only federation
• Web interface: Vue.js frontend served by a local nginx, interacting with a lightweight Node.js backend
• Authentication: no user accounts—each device is bound to a physical token (e.g., QR code on device) for initial pairing, then uses local device certificates

Each NeighbourNet device acts as a self-contained server and mesh node. Upon plugging in, it creates a WiFi access point (SSID: NeighbourNet-) and starts a DHCP server on a private subnet (e.g., 10.0.0.0/24). Users connect to this WiFi and open a captive portal (http://neighbournet.local) to access the suite. All services run as Docker containers on the Pi: file-sync (Syncthing), messaging (Matrix Dendrite + Element client), marketplace (custom Python app with SQLite), and calendar (Radicale). For mesh networking, each device also operates a separate mesh interface (802.11s) on a different channel. Devices automatically discover each other via batman-adv and forward traffic for services that are not local. The mesh expands coverage and enables communication across multi-unit buildings or streets. Data stays within the mesh; only firmware updates are pulled from the internet (signed and optional). The whole system is managed via a local admin panel accessible only to the device owner.

• Adoption inertia: people are comfortable with existing cloud apps and may not see the value of offline-first
• Technical support burden: hardware can fail, and non-tech-savvy users need help with setup
• Supply chain: chip shortages could delay production; single-source components (Pi CM4) are risky
• Legal ambiguity: local marketplaces may trigger sales tax or liability issues for trades
• Mesh reliability: interference in dense urban areas can degrade performance and user experience

• Should we use a custom OTA update mechanism or rely on users manually flashing SD cards?
• How to handle device churn: if a neighbor moves away, how to securely wipe data?
• What is the optimal mesh routing protocol for battery-powered devices (e.g., solar hat)?
• Should we include a simple e‑ink display on the case for status updates (mesh health, active users)?
• What warranty policy covers sunken cost if the Pi CM4 is discontinued?

The hardware prototyping and FCC certification costs exceeded the founder's personal runway, and a key investor pulled out after the 2022 chip shortage. The idea remains a blueprint for a post-cloud community tool.

The project was pitched at a local makerspace meetup in Detroit. Early interest came from a community garden group wanting a tool library and a block association organizing emergency preparedness. The open questions are documented from post-mortem discussions with potential manufacturing partners.