Could you ever go off-grid?

[Output]

I'd like to say yes. I'd like to, but I can't as I know that there is absolutely no way that I could last for long without finding an internet connection.

It's all the information that's available at your fingertips for me, without it it seems that you could be missing something important, whether it is for yourself (such as an email) or something that has happened elsewhere in the world.

The latter may come up in a TV news report of course, but that would still depend upon what it is and doesn't guarantee that you would find out as soon as online or that there would be as much detail as you may be looking for compared to online.

[GuidoLS]

I find it amusing that anyone would think that simply ditching your internet access constitutes going "off grid".

I lived for about 18 months truly off the grid (Peace Corps, central America). As an older adult, I couldn't do it now - I don't think most people in the western world could, let alone handle more than a couple of days. I've actually seen kids going through withdrawal because their parents had taken away their tablet, phone and video games, yet still allowed them TV. I'm not sure if it was funny, sad or pathetic. Probably a mix of all of the above.

[Saracen]

I find it amusing that anyone would think that simply ditching your internet access constitutes going "off grid".

I would have thought that the context of the phrase in this thread was pretty clear from the initial post.

[tepo]

Sadly, not a hope I do sometimes wish I could, but the net is a lifeline for me. Really don't think I could cope without it.

Bum.

Id like to meet the disabled person who could !

Aren't we already off-grid any way ( it sure feels like it to me )

If the drone thing works out it would offer some options
And then there's this
for all your mobility needs

[mikerr]

I recently decided to be less reliant on internet, and took stock of what I really needed (apart from obvious email)
- I was hitting wikipedia alot, so I looked around and found you can just download a snapshot of it and host it locally
(~30-50GB which is a manageable data size now).

But another thing is I used to (well still do) have a bunch of technical reference books, that nowadays has been replaced by a quick web search.

I suppose I could have them in ebook form and locally search, but then you have to keep buying later books,
Doing it this way you are finding/working to the answer yourself - instead of just finding someone else's pre-packaged answer like you do with a web search.

[Ttaskmaster]

I think there's just too much that has been forcibly put online now. Everything is on a database somewhere and even those 'persons of transient nature' are recorded and tracked.

About the only people who can go 'off the grid' are spies and even then it is with the willing cooperation of their government and a fortune in funding, just as a temporary option.

To go truly off the grid, your life would be so vastly different and you'd effectively be a hermit. It would not last anywhere near as long and you could not really manage it in most 'developed' nations these days. Your quality of life would be awful.


The idea sounds great, but I don't think it'd be worthwhile any more.

[Biscuit]

Unfortunately not, with my work it would be simply impossible.

I would like to try and reduce my connection with the internet but its not an easy task...

[DanceswithUnix]

Running old cars needs specialist advice and parts. Forums and online retailers make it affordable and relatively easy.

If I am working from home, that requires a broadband connection.

Small companies increasingly expect to be paid via home banking as it is much easier, faster and cheaper for them than cheques (and frankly compared to finding the book and writing a cheque easier for me).

Just too useful, it has become a tool not a choice.

[shaithis]

Not a chance I could get away with it. It sounds appealing but is a totally fanciful idea.

And it's not just work (although that is a cold hard fact that would stop me). I like to game with friends. I like to participate in communities. I like online banking, paper-less billing and online ordering. I like my smartphone. I like my tablet.

I do have ONE friend who is "off the grid", he's the guy without a phoneline, a TV license, internet connection etc. Going to see him is like taking a step back into the 80s!

[Saracen]

I think there's just too much that has been forcibly put online now. Everything is on a database somewhere and even those 'persons of transient nature' are recorded and tracked.

About the only people who can go 'off the grid' are spies and even then it is with the willing cooperation of their government and a fortune in funding, just as a temporary option.

To go truly off the grid, your life would be so vastly different and you'd effectively be a hermit. It would not last anywhere near as long and you could not really manage it in most 'developed' nations these days. Your quality of life would be awful.


The idea sounds great, but I don't think it'd be worthwhile any more.

Depends what you mean by "truly" off-grid, but you certainly can't disappear off ALL databases, at least in the UK. For a start, you're going to be on government databases, like NI numbers, D.O.B, etc, unless your parents conspired to keep you off when you were born, and broke the law to do it.

So "truly" off-grid, in that sense, is effectively impossible.

Also, for the vast majority, severing all commercial relationships, especially with utilities, like water, is next to impossible. And therefore, some bills need to be paid.

You can, however, drastically reduce any footprint and disappear off-grid as far as the vast majority of commerce is concerned. For instance, I don't need a credit card. Nor do I need loans, mobile phone contract, rental credit credit checks, etc. Or any form of credit check, for that matter. I barely need a bank account. In fact, I don't need one, but it's still marginally convenient.

Shopping? I rarely buy online, so it's nearly all local. And I don't use card payment, and God (if she exists) Forbid, never, ever store 'reward' cards. And, pay in cash. For the odd online purchase, there's always debit card, or even pre-paid card. So, I just cancelled the last credit card.

Utilities? Water/severage? Yup, need that. Gas? Currently have it, expect to not need or have it in the short/medium future. Electricity? Currently have, expect to need much less in the short/medium future.

Telephone? Currently, two landlines, two mobiles. Near future, one landline. Medium future, zero landlines.

TV? Yeah, currently Virgin and Sky. Shortly, Virgin only, and medium term, probably neither.

Broadband? 150M Cable. It's nice, but I don't need the speed and, as per thread title, don't need it at all. I do also have access to slower wifi hotspots, so don't actually need the cable service at all, if I just want the odd email and a bit of browsing.

I don't need an earned income, don't need to pay tax on earned income, all unearned income is (correctly) taxed at source and, like pensions, if I ever get any, can be paid via Post Office and drawn in cash. We don't get any benefits, so I don't need to worry about that, either in terms of getting them, or declaring them for income. And with careful management, I can keep income low enough to not owe income tax at all. I can get all the food I need from the garden, or local shops all of which are within walking distance, and most of which will deliver, if asked. My farm shop will take phone orders, or by letter for that matter, and deliver, payment on delivery. Or, I can always get the occasional taxi. I don't need a car, though I currently have one, or rather, three but they could all go. There would be a loss of mobility and convenience, so it would change lifestyle some. But I've done it before, due to illness, and so I know I can do it again. And while I'd lose that bit of mobility, I'd lose the bills and hassles of car ownership, too.

In short, I could EASILY dump TV, broadband and all phones bar perhaps an emergency and essentially incoming PAYG mobile, almost all or even all banks and credit cards, any and all credit, cars, utilities except essentials, and live a quiet, home-based village life, shopping locally and for cash.

It might not be "truly" off-grid in the hardcore survivalist sense, but if looks to me to be pretty close. Certainly, any digital footprint would be close to zero. All it takes is the willpower to do it, the inclination to do it and, when you budget it all out, a surprisingly modest amount of money to be able to afford to do it.

[Saracen]

...

I do have ONE friend who is "off the grid", he's the guy without a phoneline, a TV license, internet connection etc. Going to see him is like taking a step back into the 80s!

Exactly.

To be honest, in terms of lifestyle, I'm aiming more for the 1950's, though.

[DanceswithUnix]

I dumped Sky for Netflix, enabled by broadband. Not quite dropped "channels" yet, the TiVo still records some free shows for the kids and a few programs like Humans get watched. The vast majority is over IP though, and I don't really want to go back.

Online Tax returns, oh how I would miss those

[Ttaskmaster]

Depends what you mean by "truly" off-grid, but you certainly can't disappear off ALL databases, at least in the UK.

Exactly.
The only places you properly can are those where The Grid hasn't really become a neccesary part of life.

You can, however, drastically reduce any footprint and disappear off-grid as far as the vast majority of commerce is concerned.

Already half-way there... No credit cards EVER (nasty, evil things), no loans (if I buy something, I wait until I can buy it all upfront), I rent direct from an independent landlady, would never touch store cards (because their rewards aren't anything I want and you need to spend millions to get any decent points), am not actually on the sewerage or gas lines (which is FLIPPIN' EXPENSIVE, lemme tell ya!!!), only have a landline for the crappy 0.5Mbps internet, don't want TV (but the Mrs uses it), have actually gone to mobile contract as it was cheaper for once (same provider) and I kinda have to PAYE as I'm crap with numbers.

Vehicles are a problem as there aren't actually pavements where we live and the traffic goes past at 60-90mph (it's a rural 40 limit), so walking really isn't safe.

I have gone 'truly' off-the-grid several times, as in hardcore survivalist, for as long as a month (thank-you for the opportunity, British Army) and it was GREAT fun for the most part... but only because I pretty much chose to do so.
However, as with most things - if you HAVE to live that way either because circumstances force you, or because you made your bed thus and must now thusly lie in it, it quite often becomes Hell on Earth!!

[stevie lee]

Depends what you mean by "truly" off-grid, but you certainly can't disappear off ALL databases, at least in the UK. For a start, you're going to be on government databases, like NI numbers, D.O.B, etc, unless your parents conspired to keep you off when you were born, and broke the law to do it.

So "truly" off-grid, in that sense, is effectively impossible.

tell me about it.

I used to work on one of those databases, theres more on there than you think and a lot of the sections can be easily linked if you had the access and time to do it.
there are reasons I don't use proper info on pretty much every website I log into. harder to track.

the annoying database is the electoral roll, it helps somewhat that theres famous people with my name, but even if I leave the electoral roll all the historical data on sites will still be there, so theres little point.

suppose I could ask google to do one of those 'right to be forgottens' I am the lead product development director of Googles Project X, maybe they'll believe it came from me/him

[Saracen]

tell me about it.

I used to work on one of those databases, theres more on there than you think ...

I know what you mean, but as it happens, I seriously doubt that.

[GuidoLS]

Taking off the grid to the extreme... or at least in ways that seem highly offensive (to me, and apparently more than a few in the comments section)

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/...ating-current/