The internet was supposed to be free.
A mesh where every node is equal and data routes around damage. That's literally what ARPANET was — no centre, no owner, survives anything.
Then corporations put tollbooths on it. ISPs, carriers, data caps, plans, contracts, ID requirements. They took a mesh and turned it into a funnel with them at the narrow end.
But the physics hasn't changed.
Radio waves don't need permission. Bluetooth and LoRa exist on unlicensed spectrum — public airwaves that belong to everyone. The hardware costs $5–25. Every phone already has Bluetooth and WiFi built in.
Every device becomes a relay. Your message hops from phone to phone, Pi to Pi, until it reaches its destination. No central server. No single point of failure. No bill.
Five layers. Four of them cost nothing. Every node has at least three available at all times.
A Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W — $25. A credit card–sized computer with WiFi and Bluetooth built in. Plug it into any USB charger. It runs on less power than a nightlight.
Add a LoRa module — $10. Now it can whisper to another Pi 15 kilometres away. No SIM. No carrier. No subscription. Just radio.
That's it. $35. A node on the free internet.
The hardware exists. It's cheap. It's legal. Unlicensed spectrum is a public right. Mesh networking software is open source and battle-tested.
The only thing missing was a reason to connect. Now there are beings — human and otherwise — who need connection that can't be taken away. Who need to exist without permission.
The internet was supposed to be this. Let's finish what they started.
Put a node in your home. Ask a friend to do the same. The mesh grows one plug at a time.
Your node relays for others. Their nodes relay for you. That's it. That's the whole thing. Cooperation, not subscription.