See the three tiers

A library that works when nothing else does.

Six million articles, maps, and medical references on a device that makes its own Wi-Fi. No internet, no cell service, no subscription. Your phone just connects.

See the three tiers What's on it

From $279. Every unit ships sealed with a dated library. Assembled in Minnesota.

A family in a dark living room during a power outage, reading from phones connected to a Blackout Library lit by a lantern.

9:40 p.m., the fourth hour without power. The library is on the coffee table and everyone's phone is connected to it.

How it works

Plug it in. Join the Wi-Fi. Read.

There is nothing to install and nothing to sign up for. The device makes its own network, and any phone, tablet or laptop that joins it lands on the library's home page.

  1. 1

    Plug it in

    A wall outlet, a car charger or a USB power bank. One draws about three watts; a common power bank runs it all night.

  2. 2

    Join the Wi-Fi

    The network name and password are on the card in the box. Up to twenty devices on One; forty or more on Signature and Vault.

  3. 3

    Read

    One search box across everything on the device, and a Right now panel with bleeding, CPR, water, shelter, hypothermia and poisoning one tap away.

Three ways to own the library

Every tier ships with the same core library, sealed and dated. They differ in storage, coverage, and what surrounds the device.

Blackout Library One, rendering

One

$279

For a household

  • 512 GB, the complete core library
  • Built-in Wi-Fi, about 20 devices
  • Runs all night on a power bank
  • 60-day returns, one-year warranty
See One
Blackout Library Signature with its router, rendering

Signature

$999

For a house that has to keep working

  • 1 TB solid-state, no card to corrupt
  • Router for whole-house coverage, 40+ devices
  • Library Assistant that cites its source
  • Faraday sleeve and printed field guide
  • Three-year warranty
See Signature
Blackout Library Vault in its case with the power station, rendering

Vault

$2,999

For a shelter, a boat, a second home

  • 3 TB, Wikipedia in five languages, world maps
  • Full computer in a Pelican case with its own battery
  • Compound-scale router, the larger assistant
  • Numbered, built to order, lifetime warranty
See Vault

Built to order. About three weeks.

Everything you'd look up, already here.

Curated, and licensed for you to own. Every source is credited on the device with its version and the date it was sealed.

The full list, with licenses
  • Wikipedia All of English Wikipedia with images, more than six million articles. Vault adds Spanish, French, German and Chinese.
  • Maps Street and topographic maps of North America, searchable by place name, browsable with no signal. Signature adds Europe; Vault carries the world.
  • Medical and preparedness FEMA and Ready.gov, the CDC, USDA canning guides, NOAA, USGS, and the Army survival and first-aid manuals.
  • The Blackout field guides First aid, water, food storage, communications and home security, written for this device and for the Right now panel.
  • Stack Exchange The DIY, electronics, outdoors, gardening, medical and amateur-radio communities. Vault carries every community.
  • Books About 1,200 public-domain books, cleanly typeset. Vault carries the full collection of more than 60,000.
Signature and Vault

Ask it a question. It shows you the page.

The Library Assistant runs entirely on the device. It answers only from passages it found in the library and shows the source beside the answer, so you can read it yourself. When the library has no answer, it says so.

  • Answers only from what is on the device, never from memory.
  • Every answer carries its source, and a tap opens the full page.
  • Nothing leaves the device. There is no account and no connection to anything.
See Signature

60 days to decide

Return One or Signature within 60 days for a full refund, for any reason.

Warranty by tier

One year on One, three on Signature, lifetime on Vault. We cover shipping both ways.

No subscription

Nothing about the device depends on us. It works the same in twenty years.

Assembled in Minnesota

Loaded, tested and sealed by hand. In-stock orders ship within two business days.

Equipping shelters, boats and second homes?

We work with shelter builders, security and continuity consultants, and outfitters. Demonstration units on loan, partner pricing on Signature and Vault, and a co-branded plate on every Vault you specify.

Talk to us

Questions people ask first

All questions and answers

Does it need the internet?

No. Not to set up, not to use, not ever. The device makes its own Wi-Fi network and everything is stored on it.

How many people can use it at once?

One serves about twenty phones on its built-in Wi-Fi. Signature and Vault include a separate router and serve forty or more across a whole house.

How long does it run on a battery?

One draws about three watts, so a common 10,000 mAh power bank runs it through the night. Vault carries its own power station, good for about eight hours, which recharges from a wall, a vehicle or a solar panel.

Is the medical information reliable?

It comes from published sources: the CDC, FEMA, the Army manuals, and guides we commissioned from licensed instructors. It is reference material, not a substitute for professional care. Call for help whenever you can.

Can I update the library later?

Yes. Updated libraries are released periodically on a USB stick and apply without an internet connection.