RAVE is a concept for a push-to-talk (PTT) Android application by the Commotion Wireless Project and Throneless Tech. The RAVE mobile application provides high-fidelity audio communication via a peer-to-peer Bluetooth or WiFi connection. RAVE is tolerant of unreliable or low-bandwidth radio links, and gracefully steps down to lower-bandwidth communication. Multiple RAVE devices form a multi-hop network capable of extending communication over longer distances.
Use Cases
RAVE is designed to be appealing for people to use for everyday communication. In particular, the RAVE application’s interface and functionality will be comparable to popular messaging applications like Signal and Whatsapp, and particularly more voice-focused apps like Discord. In our experience it is necessary to appeal to communities beyond those interested in disaster preparedness or security and privacy in order to establish a user base, since by the time internet access becomes unavailable it is too late to download and coordinate the use of a new application.
However, the primary audience for RAVE is individuals that live in disaster-prone areas or areas with frequent communications issues due to accidental or intentional internet blackout. The ability for existing infrastructure to adapt to the loss of internet access is critical for organizers and community first-responders. This has been borne out by the work we’ve conducted deploying networks within dozens of underserved and/or vulnerable communities around the world over the past decade.
Preliminary Design Mockups
