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Introduction#

NOTE: This is still young in production.

AltGrid Live is a portable Linux operating system built for independence. It’s a Debian-based live USB environment that can transform nearly any computer into a functional off-grid workstation — complete with LoRa radio communication, scripting tools, and a curated offline toolkit.
You can think of it as Tails for the resilient technologist: focused not on anonymity, but self-reliance.

Where Tails protects your identity, AltGrid Live protects your autonomy.

Purpose and Vision#

AltGrid Live is part of the AltGrid Project, which develops open-source systems for communication and survival when the cloud is gone and the network grid is unreliable.
Its mission is to make computing useful without requiring the internet, subscriptions, or proprietary services.

The system ships as a self-contained USB stick that boots directly into a fully configured Linux desktop — no installation needed. Plug it into an old laptop, and you have an instant radio node, local document vault, and repair lab.

Core Capabilities#

  • LoRa Communication via ViaText
    Out of the box, AltGrid Live can pair with ViaText nodes to send messages through low-power radio — no phone, SIM, or Wi-Fi required. It’s effectively a portable post office for your field devices.

  • Offline Toolkit
    Comes pre-loaded with editors, diagnostic tools, and documentation for fieldwork: text processing, network sniffing, serial monitoring, and more — all runnable without internet access.

  • Persistence Optional
    Like Tails, it can run in temporary mode or preserve changes between sessions. You decide whether to keep logs, configs, and encryption keys.

  • Linux-Native Familiarity
    Everything follows traditional Debian conventions. If you can use a terminal, you can understand how it works. Nothing is hidden behind custom interfaces.

Why It Exists#

Most modern systems assume constant connectivity. AltGrid Live is built for the moments — or environments — where that’s impossible.
Rural communities, disaster zones, field stations, research trips, or just digital minimalists who want control of their tools.

It’s a platform for digital self-sufficiency, blending Linux pragmatism with open-hardware communication.

In Short#

AltGrid Live is your pocket-sized Linux basecamp — a bootable system for communication, repair, and survival when the network ends but the work continues.

Build like it’s 1986. Communicate like it’s 2086.

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