Communication in Search and Rescue Operations
In search and rescue, communication is the first resource a team loses. After an earthquake, flood or landslide the base stations go down; in rural and mountainous terrain there was never any coverage to begin with. BosNets closes that gap without needing a network: when a network is available phones connect over the internet, and when it is not they connect through the BosMag devices beside them, which form a mesh network among themselves. Team members send text messages, share their location and raise an emergency alert from the same app, while the coordination centre watches all of it on one screen. Switching between the two modes is automatic and requires no user action. Because every device that joins also acts as a relay, range grows as the team grows, and all communication is recorded.
Where does communication actually break down?
The problem field teams face is not a single device failing. It is every link in the communication chain weakening at the same time.
- The network collapses or was never there — after a disaster, base stations fail within hours as power and backhaul are lost, and rural terrain has no coverage at all.
- Radio range is fixed — fixed-range handhelds fall short among rubble, valleys and dense structures, and setting up a repeater takes time.
- Voice leaves no trace — after the operation there is no record of who reported what, and when.
- Location is described in words — "behind the collapsed building on the corner" points the other party somewhere else entirely; this is where most time is lost.
BosNets addresses these four problems as one flow rather than four separate tools.
How BosNets works in the field
With a network, over the internet
The phone connects directly to the BosNets server. Message history, task assignments, team locations and BosLog records sync in real time, and the range limit disappears. Teams connecting from different provinces meet on the same network.
Without a network, over the mesh
The phone connects to the BosMag device beside it. BosMag units find each other and form their own network; every device is both an endpoint and a relay. The more devices a team carries, the larger the covered area. No internet, SIM card or satellite link is required.
The switch is fully automatic. When a team member leaves coverage the app quietly falls back to the mesh, and when they return to a network the queued messages sync.
What changes in practice
Location is seen, not described
Team positions appear live on the map. When a drone or K9 team finds something, they mark the location with a single tap; the marker reaches everyone on the network and the coordination centre sees the same point at the same moment. Reading coordinates aloud disappears entirely.
One press for an emergency alert
Pressing the emergency button on a BosMag broadcasts an alert across the network. Every screen shows the name, registered details and current location of the person who pressed it. It is designed for exactly the situations where someone cannot use their phone — a fall, being trapped under rubble, or losing orientation.
Task assignment and record keeping
Team leaders define tasks through BosLog and track which team is working which sector. All communication is timestamped and stored, so it can be used for incident review and reporting after the operation.
Which device does what
BosMag
A portable communication device smaller than a wallet that attaches magnetically to a phone. When there is no network it is the phone's way onto the mesh, and it acts as a relay at the same time.
BosApp
The mobile app for Android and iOS. Text messaging, location sharing, emergency alerts and the map live in one interface, and it changes mode according to network conditions.
BosBase
A rapidly deployable range-extending relay station. It runs entirely on solar power and its larger antenna covers a wider area. It is used at a coordination centre or on a vehicle roof, and requires no installation.
BosLog
The desktop application — the coordination centre's screen. Live network view, task assignment, access to past communication data and post-incident reporting.
Frequently asked questions
Do rescue teams use BosNets instead of radio?
Alongside it, not instead of it. Radio carries voice in the moment and the speaker occupies the channel; BosNets carries text, location and status. A message waits if the other side is not looking, anyone joining later sees the history, and everything is recorded. Most teams use both together.
Does it work under rubble or indoors?
Because every device acts as a relay, coverage depends on how the team is distributed. In a team spread around a collapse site, the devices in between carry the signal. Range drops in dense concrete and deep enclosed spaces; a BosBase relay station is used in those cases.
How long do setup and training take?
A BosMag attaches to the phone straight out of the box and pairs with BosApp; there is no separate infrastructure to install. The interface resembles familiar messaging apps, so field teams typically start using it after a short introduction.
Where is operational data stored?
When a private closed network is set up for an organisation, communication data stays on that organisation's own server and never leaves it. Past records are accessed through BosLog and archived for incident analysis and legal traceability.
Let's talk about what your team needs in the field.