Many families used goTenna Mesh to see where the kids were when there was no signal. Nelos is the modern app for that today: scan a code to set up a family team, chat, see everyone's location - including a small tracker for kids - on one map, with a Need Help button.
This guide is written for an ordinary family - picnics, camping, short hikes, road trips - not for someone who enjoys configuring hardware. Nelos keeps the simplicity families liked about goTenna and adds a tracker for kids, direct messages, and an identity that stays yours even if you swap radios. You can start using it for free.
Usually three things: messaging the whole family with no signal, seeing everyone's latest location on a shared map, and setting a time or meeting point. Not continuous tracking, just "message when it's time to eat" and "roughly where is Dad".
For family location sharing, there are two very different situations.
With a network, Life360, Apple Find My and Google Maps location sharing do their job - including for grandparents far away keeping an eye on the whole family. There's no reason to drop them.
Without a network, those apps stop updating. GPS still fixes each phone's position, but there's no path to send that position to anyone else - so the dot on the map freezes at the last update. The guide Does Life360 Work Without Signal? explains this in detail. A LoRa mesh layer fills exactly that gap: the phones in the family exchange location over radio instead of over the internet.
It's not a choice between the two. The sensible setup is to let the internet apps handle the covered stretches, and have a separate layer for the stretch with no network.
Nelos. Each adult carries a small radio device connected to a phone over Bluetooth. Little to configure, a consumer-oriented interface built for exactly this. This is the closest direction to the consumer goTenna experience.
Satellite communication devices. For genuinely remote trips or when you need the ability to call for rescue, not for the family to message each other around a picnic area. Usually comes with a subscription.
Two-way radios. Around a small, open area, a few two-way radios for voice are enough and the cheapest option - but no location display, no message history.
For young children, carrying a phone often isn't practical. A small LoRa tracker solves this: battery-powered, with GPS, reporting its location over radio with no phone attached. Put it in a child's backpack, or on a pet's collar. It only shows its location on the map of people in the group carrying a full device. See the trackers section of the devices guide and the guide Tracking Kids and Pets While Camping Without Signal.
For a closer look at the options for children - kids' smartwatches, AirTag and LoRa trackers - and how to use one openly, see GPS trackers for kids without cell service.
Safety note: a tracker tells you roughly where a device is, not whether the child is okay. A dead battery, a dropped device, or signal-blocking terrain all make the dot on the map stop reflecting reality. For young children around streams, cliffs, roads or unfamiliar areas, no device replaces an adult within sight and reach.
In the app, a family has: private group messaging, everyone's - and every tracker's - latest location on a shared offline map, map markers, and a one-tap "Need Help" button. The phone connects over Bluetooth to a small compatible radio device. You can start using Nelos for free; it needs no account, and doesn't use an intermediary server for members to communicate. It is not a rescue device. See the family communication guide for more.
For an ordinary family: keep Life360 or Find My for when there's a network, add a LoRa mesh system with a simple app for when there isn't, and use a tracker for young children or pets. The guide Best goTenna Mesh Alternatives in 2026 compares LoRa mesh with satellite devices and two-way radios in general.
You need at least one adult carrying a radio device connected to a phone. Young children or people who can't conveniently carry a phone can use a small tracker that reports its location, with no phone of its own.
No. When there's a network, these apps do their job well, including for relatives far away following along. A LoRa mesh system is an added layer for the stretches with no network, not a replacement.
No. It tells you roughly where a device is, not whether the child is safe. A dead battery or a dropped device both make the dot on the map stop reflecting reality. An adult still needs to supervise directly.
Nelos is an independent product, not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by goTenna. Names mentioned belong to their respective owners.
Nelos brings group messaging, location sharing, and a shared group map with location updates to LoRa mesh — with no cell service, no server, and no account.
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