A little over a year ago, a buddy of mine pointed me to an article in Popular Science magazine that offered a configuration for a "backpack hotspot". It struck me that a hardened implementation might have some utility in a complex contingency, so I took the liberty of assembling one and modified for use at Strong Angel 3. From a functional perspective, I see three specific value propositions for the backpack which I'd like to test at SA3:

1. Self-powered: The device has been retrofitted with dual 2,200mAh Li Ion batteries and charged via solar panels stitched into backpack, or, car/AC chargers. I'm also planning to bring a 12-volt 7ah battery as well for testing later in the week.
2. Forward task-area networks: I would suggest that the unit is optimized for short-lived (4 hour or less) field ops on a single charge. The current configuration provides 802.11g bubble with EVDO/3G reachback (~768kbps in San Diego area).
3. Information collection and sharing: The configuration is optimized for message-based movement of information, presence, SSE feeds, and text/email messaging. It offers a non-persistent capability in that the CONOP is to provide a just-in-time pipe versus pony express "store-and-move".

Configuration:
Dual Li Ion battery packs which store surplus power generated (Voltaic Systems). One will be dedicated to charging, while the other is used to power a 5V EVDO router that provides an 802.11g cloud, with an estimated 768kbps EVDO/3G reachback capability. On day two we flip the batteries and recharge the one that was used on Day One. The battery packs can also be charged using an AC travel charger or car charger, but the day one tests will focus on recharge rate for reuse on Day Two.

Test Metrics:
- Sustained LAN connectivity using OOTB power unit
- Sustained LAN and WAN connectivity using OOTB power unit
- Recharge intervals (burn for 3 hours, but can I recharge to full in a 24 hour cycle using only sunlight?)
- Geoloc and "loiter time" situational awareness of the backpack on an XMPP-based Blueforce FCN at the EOC.
- Actual EVDO speeds measured hourly

As with other experiments, please ping me if you'd like to add test criteria and or capability.

Components from: Voltaic Systems, Kyocera, Verizon Wireless, Radio Shack, plus soldering iron, VoltOhmMeter, etc. Cost: ~US$750