A comprehensive guide to alternative networking technologies — from mesh networks and LoRa to packet radio, decentralized protocols, and community-owned infrastructure.
The internet as we know it relies on centralized infrastructure: ISPs, undersea cables, data centers, and DNS root servers. But what happens when that infrastructure is unavailable, unaffordable, censored, or simply not built yet? This book explores the many ways to build networks that operate independently of — or alongside — the traditional internet.
Whether you want to set up a local network for your neighborhood, communicate off-grid using LoRa radios, build a mesh network that routes around failures, or host decentralized services that no one can shut down, this book provides the knowledge, hardware recommendations, and working code to make it happen.
The book is organized in a progressive manner. We start with the motivation and fundamentals, then explore specific alternative network technologies in increasing order of distance and complexity. Later chapters cover software, security, hardware, and hands-on projects.
This book was written in March 2026. The alternative networking landscape evolves rapidly — new firmware, new hardware, and new protocols appear regularly. The principles and architectures described here are stable, but always check project websites for the latest versions and compatibility information.
All code samples use Python 3 unless otherwise noted. Hardware recommendations include both budget and performance options where possible.