04/01/2026
The Mendocino coast is an enormously difficult place to serve, with storms, salt air, falling trees, road closures, wind, rain that goes on for days, and extended power outages.
At Further Reach, we stop at nothing to keep you connected during the worst of it. We built an extensive array of backup batteries, chargers, remote management tools, and fixed and portable generators to keep the network operational indefinitely without grid power.
We're thrilled to announce the beta launch of SPIN: the Subscriber-Powered Infrastructure Network — another layer in our relentless pursuit of redundancy.
SPIN is a pedal-powered generator that connects directly to your home networking equipment, allowing subscribers to keep their internet running under their own power during an outage. Our low-power gear draws just 7 watts for a typical residential installation. You don't need to be an athlete or even especially fit.
Dr. Yahel Ben-David, Further Reach's Chief Scientist: "At a time when all we hear about is high technology solutions, it's important to not lose sight of the fact that low-tech solutions are often the right ones. SPIN doesn't break. It's easy to maintain. It's very inexpensive. And there is no firmware to update. Subscribers can sustain their connection indefinitely with what amounts to a casual bike ride. We have measured zero packet loss at cadences as low as 45 RPM."
The technology is not perfect in all situations. We loaned a beta SPIN unit to a neighbor whose Starlink dish had gone down during the Christmas storm. The neighbor's high school-aged children, running on cupcakes and Little Green Bean coffee, were only able to sustain the load for 75 minutes before everyone was tuckered out something fierce, nursing stomachaches, and in no condition to continue. The Starlink dish, drawing close to 100 watts — fourteen times what our equipment requires — never came back on, and our neighbor had to listen to their children complain all weekend.
For customers who prefer a less aerobic approach to storm preparedness — which, honestly, we recommend — our team is ready to help. We can install a battery backup that keeps your equipment running through outages, and advise on a small generator for extended events.
Details and product recommendations: https://furtherreach.net/faq/backup-power/
Call or text 707-278-8899 and we'll figure out the right setup for your situation.
Like all Further Reach innovations, SPIN is released as open-source under GNU General Public License v3.0: https://furtherreach.net/opensource/
