No school too far, no community too remote
With a simple setup, minimal hardware, and no need for internet access, Knapsack Content Station delivers free daily shipments of invaluable information and media to people and places at the furthest ends of the digital divide.
An Offline Internet Solution
Too many communities are denied the quality education they deserve due to natural barriers, prohibitive costs, and underdeveloped infrastructure. At NetFreedom Pioneers (NFP), we seek out, develop, and deploy innovative methods for circumventing these traditional barriers to information. It’s with this mission that NFP developed Knapsack Content Station, a wifi-accessible system that receives, extracts, and saves data delivered via our Toosheh satellite datacasting technology.
With Knapsack Content Station, we envision engaging media and vital information made available on-demand to even the most disconnected people. Using inexpensive, off-the-shelf components and free-to-air (FTA) satellite dishes, Knapsack Content Station delivers quality educational material to traditionally underserved communities.
How It Works
Received via Knapsack Datacasting Technology
The Knapsack Content Station utilizes satellite datacasting technology to send gigabytes of digital content using a low-bandwidth satellite broadcasting. The technical process to transmit content begins with uploading desired content to a satellite through an online web portal designed as a delivery mechanism to the satellite. The content is sent to this satellite and then encoded on a TV channel to local free-to-air satellite TV dishes on Earth.
Stored on the Knapsack Content Station:
Software within the Knapsack Content Station automatically decodes the transmitted content from the TV channel to its original form (PDFs, JPEGs, HTML, MP3s, and others) and stores it. This receiver also acts similarly to a WiFi hotspot, allowing users to access its stored content wirelessly within a range of up to 500 meters. Students or teachers can wirelessly connect to the Content Station with their laptop, tablet, or smartphone, and view, listen to, watch, and otherwise engage with the content.
Consistently Updated Content
Using off-the-shelf devices and without the need for an internet connection, schools and communities can regularly receive updated and expanded libraries of digital content. Once decoded by the software, this content can be stored on a number of common devices such as a simple USB or hard drive, allowing it to be accessed at any time and place.
Knapsack Content Station in Action
Oaxaca, Mexico
With an ever-increasing portion of the world realizing the benefits of information access via the internet for education, a great divide is forming between those with available, affordable access to information, and those without. With Knapsack Content Station, we can bridge this digital divide, granting the previously underprivileged with increased opportunity, more informed decisions, and a meaningful impact on one’s future.
A Documentary
Knapsack For Hope
Learn more about how NetFreedom Pioneers deployed its first pilot program of Knapsack Content Station in Mexico to enhance the quality of education for local students.