Buurtbox
Resilient data hubs for total blackouts
🚧 This project is currently in development
Concept
The problem
Modern society is deeply dependent on digital infrastructure for access to essential knowledge — Wikipedia for everyday information, maps for navigation, government health sites like the RIVM and GGD for medical guidance. Internet access in the Netherlands is fast and reliable nearly everywhere, so local storage feels unnecessary. Until it isn't.
When internet access fails — during a cyberattack, a large-scale power outage, or a natural disaster — the sudden loss of that information can lead to genuinely dangerous situations. Emergency services become overloaded. People can't find first-aid instructions. Coordination breaks down.
The solution
Buurtbox is a plug-and-play local data station designed for installation in neighbourhood and community centres. It broadcasts a local Wi-Fi network. When users connect, they are redirected to a portal where a curated collection of offline data is available — no internet required.
Buurtbox is designed to transform a neighbourhood centre into a digital fallback point: a physical place where residents can go during an emergency to access essential information, coordinate with neighbours, and find calm in the middle of a crisis.
Hardware
The Buurtbox is built around a low-power, proven stack designed for long-term reliability and energy efficiency.
- Server: Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 — energy-efficient, robust, and widely available
- Storage: 1 TB+ SSD — enough for Wikipedia, maps, and much more
- Backup power: High-capacity powerbank — automatic failover when mains power fails
- Enclosure: Compact housing suitable for a shelf or desk in a community space
Power modes
| Mode | Setup | Runtime |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Mains power + powerbank failover | 1–2 days on battery |
| 30-min button | Physical button activates the device for 30 min per press | 1 week+ |
| Solar | Small portable solar panel added to the setup | Indefinite |
Future extension: LoRa mesh
A LoRa transceiver can be added to each Buurtbox to form a local mesh network between units across a neighbourhood. This enables text-based communication and news exchange between Buurtboxes over distances of several kilometres — even when fixed internet infrastructure is completely unavailable.
Available offline
The Buurtbox is stocked with a curated dataset of public-domain and openly licensed content, assembled with emergency resilience in mind.
All data is sourced exclusively from the public domain or open licenses. The dataset is managed via a manifest and a dedicated admin application, enabling controlled updates and distribution across multiple Buurtboxes.
Planning
The Buurtbox is being developed over a six-month timeline with a working prototype, a pilot user test, and an open-source release as key milestones.
| Month | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1 | Procure hardware components; start development of data management dashboard; make contact with pilot partners |
| 2 | Build working prototype; complete first version of the dataset |
| 3 | Test and iterate on the prototype; develop the portal interface and UX |
| 4 | Prepare prototype for user testing; design poster and manual; run pilot user tests with partner |
| 5 | Complete user tests; analyse results; plan improvements based on test findings |
| 6 | Final prototype; publish dataset; release code as open source; write results article; publish self-build hardware instructions |
Contact
Buurtbox is an open project. Whether you're interested in running a pilot, contributing to the dataset, or simply want to learn more — feel free to reach out.
Lars Böhm
info@buurtbox.org