Anyone who has visited relatives in an obscure rural town would know: good luck finding cellphone service. Well, sometimes if you go to the town cemetery and stand over one particular grave and hold your phone up over your head, you may find a weak signal, but that’s it. This would be a great place to try out your new goTenna Mesh device.

Wirelessly connect this compact off-grid tool to your phone and you’re good to go with your own private mesh network. Even without cell service you can use your phone to share text messages, maps, and your GPS signal. The goTenna Mesh is your safety net for unreliable or unavailable cell service at times of emergencies or natural disasters. Through mesh networking, the device automatically extends range by hopping to and from other Mesh devices, if there are any nearby. Since the Mesh is sold in pairs, you can even leave one in a strategic location for stationary relay, creating a “bread crumb trail” node.

You will get text delivery confirmation, so you know for certain your messages were received by the other party. The only drawback is that it won’t give you voice call or picture message services. Still, this is a handy device to keep with you when your network goes down or gets too congested in a time of dire need — or when you’re stuck with your relatives in the sticks of Southeast Michigan, God forbid.