Safety, Privacy, Security
Keep your security system, smart lights, baby monitors, and other vulnerable devices away from your bank account number.
FrogNets Keep Your Data Private
If you use smart home devices like security cameras, smart lights, or other gadgets connected to your Wi-Fi, and you connect your computers, tablets, or phones to the same network, your personal information is at risk. These smart devices often have security issues, and if someone hacks into one of them, they could access all your personal devices connected to the same network.
FrogNets provide an easy way to set up two separate networks in your home—one for your smart devices and another for your computers and phones. This means that even if someone breaks into the smart device network, they won’t be able to reach your personal information, making everything safer. Plus, FrogNets don’t require any subscription fees, so they’re an affordable option for managing your home devices effectively.
See the FrogNet Architectural FAQ
FrogNets Let You Control Your Personal Information
How many companies are you paying just so you can access your own information when online? Are you sure you can trust the companies that hold this information, and that they'll be in business a year from now? Does the agreement you signed give them the right to use your information without your permission?
FrogNets lets you regain control of all that information. You own the storage and control who has access to it. If you want access to it from the Internet, that can be easily arranged, but the data will remain on your network.
A few examples of these sorts of services are:
- HomeAssistant -- One of the most popular SmartHome packages around
- FireFly III -- A personal financial management suite
- PhotoPrism -- An excellent photo management system
All of the packages above are free/open source software, and work with or without Internet access
See the FrogNet Architecture FAQ
Multiple Levels of Physical Security on One Network
What do you do if you have a very large area to protect? What if there are multiple buildings far apart? How can you manage all this, especially when there is no Internet?
FrogNet Networks are the answer here. Every FrogNet in your network of FrogNets can host a HomeAssistant node, with security cameras and alerts, monitored and controlled from anywhere on the network, whether the Internet is available or not.
Other steps can be taken to secure your network and its contents. We will explore more of these in the Forums.
See the FrogNet Architecture FAQ
Games, Movies, and More, offline
When the Internet goes down, you don't have to sit in the dark waiting for it to come back.
FrogNets can host free/open-source media servers, like Plex, which brings video and music, and Mealie for recipe management.
There are hundreds of offline games you can play. From Puzzles to shooters, racers, and adventure titles, there's a game for everyone!
See the FrogNet Architecture FAQ
Social Media and Services When Offline
Your Internet going down doesn't have to mean you lost contact with everyone and everything.
Even if the Internet is down, your FrogNet can still provide social media (video/voice/text chat) through free/open-source apps like Jami, blogging platforms like Ghost, and others.
See the FrogNet Architecture FAQ
No Subscription Fees
We hate subscription fees just as much as you do, so we’ve chosen a different approach. When you buy a FrogNet source license, it allows you to create one FrogNet network and as many individual FrogNets as you like within that network. Just keep in mind that all these FrogNets must be connected together and managed by you. If your neighbor wants to connect their FrogNet network with yours, they will need to purchase their own license.
FrogNets Connect to Each Other
A single FrogNet is useful, but multiple FrogNets working together present opportunities heretofore unthinkable.
Joined FrogNets are a fully functional network that includes domain name resolution and routing. This means different FrogNets can host different network services, or the same network services on different networks. For example, you can have a single media server that everyone can use, plus Home Assistant modules attached to multiple FrogNets in your network. Each server has its own unique address and can be reached from across all FrogNets.
Examples of the kinds of services you can make available on joined (or stand-alone) FrogNets can be found at the Awesome Selfhosted List
See the FrogNet Architecture FAQ
Networking Options You've Never Had Before
The ability to create a local internet using old computers and routers is a game-changer. It allows isolated communities to connect and share resources, whether online or offline, or a mix of both.
What’s even more incredible is that FrogNets can be mobile. This means that a Command Post can move along with its leader, wherever they go. It also allows researchers to set up mobile labs that can analyze data from various sensors in real time.
FrogNets don't have to be laid out in any specific way. If two FrogNets are on the same FrogNet Network, they can communicate with each other. This means that search and rescue teams cat set up snake tepologies,
This is not just another product; it’s a whole new way of thinking about networking. It could truly change the game.
See the FrogNet Architecture FAQ
No Internet? No Problem!
FrogNets don't need the Internet. If there is a connection to the Internet, your FrogNet and any other FrogNets in your FrogNet Network will be able to use it, but it is not required.
Working without the Internet, your FrogNet Network is still a fully functional network-of-networks, where computers and users can find and communicate with each other. Local FrogNets can host web and media servers, and can offer chat, document control, photo management, home automation, and a plethora of other services that don't require the Internet.
Examples of the kinds of services you can make available on joined (or stand-alone) FrogNets can be found at the Awesome Selfhosted List
See the FrogNet Architecture FAQ
FrogNets Are Easy to Set Up
We have decades of experience in wide-area, large-scale automation, and we know how to set up and configure machines. Our installation script, which you download when you purchase your source license, is all you need to transform your old junk machine into a FrogNet.
Pre-Configured or Build Your Own
FrogNets need two main parts to work: a computer and a router. The computer should use a Linux operating system, but it doesn’t have to be a specific version. We've tested FrogNets on powerful computers like Intel Core i7, as well as simpler ones like Intel Celeron and Raspberry Pi. One of our colleagues even managed to set it up using an old laptop they found in a garage and a router from a thrift store, showing how flexible the system can be. Both budget-friendly home routers and high-end gaming routers can work just fine.
We have a limited number of pre-configured systems for sale, and you can backorder if we sell out. If you have the skills, we're happy to sell you a source license so you can build your own FrogNet from whatever equipment you have lying around.
When you buy a FrogNet source license, you'll get a file to download. Just put that file on your Linux computer and run it. The software will ask you a few questions and handle everything needed to set it up, which includes restarting your computer a couple of times. Once it’s done, you’ll have a fully working FrogNet.
One of the reasons FrogNet is easy to use is that it’s mainly written in a simple scripting language called Bash. This means that the setup process runs the same commands that a tech person would use to set things up manually, making it efficient and straightforward.
See the Computer and Hardware FAQ
About Fawcett Innovations
Our Vision
Our vision is to create a world where people can get connected to each other without having to spend any money at all