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schematrix/HAS_Prepper_Disk

Offline knowledge archive for a Raspberry Pi 5 that serves Wikipedia, maps and survival guides over its own Wi-Fi hotspot, built on Internet-in-a-Box.

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What is it?

HAS_Prepper_Disk turns a Raspberry Pi 5 with an NVMe SSD into a self-contained offline library. Wikipedia, maps, medical references and repair guides are stored on the drive and served over the Pi's own Wi-Fi hotspot, so any phone or laptop that joins the network can open them in a browser without internet access.

The project is built on Internet-in-a-Box and Kiwix. It adds a ready-made configuration file, helper scripts for mounting the SSD, installing the stack and downloading ZIM content, plus a custom homepage. The content list is editable, and map regions are chosen through the Internet-in-a-Box admin console.

The repository also includes troubleshooting notes for common problems such as hotspot bridge failures, hostname changes after install, and region-blocked map downloads.

Key features

  • 01Serves Wikipedia, maps and reference content over a local Wi-Fi hotspot with no internet connection.
  • 02Installs on a Raspberry Pi 5 with an SSD mounted at /library.
  • 03Downloads and updates ZIM content from Kiwix via an editable content list.
  • 04Includes a custom homepage and an admin console for choosing map regions.
  • 05Ships troubleshooting guidance for hotspot, SSH and download issues.

Use cases

  • Keeping a reference library available in places without reliable internet, such as remote cabins or during outages.
  • Building a family or group emergency knowledge kit with medical, repair and survival material.
  • Offering offline Wikipedia and map access on a local network for a school, workshop or field site.

Quick start

  1. 1

    Clone the repo

    git clone https://github.com/schematrix/HAS_Prepper_Disk.git
  2. 2

    Mount the SSD at /library

    sudo ./scripts/setup-ssd.sh /dev/nvme0n1
  3. 3

    Run the installer (30–60 min; re-run if interrupted)

    sudo ./install.sh
  4. 4

    Download content listed in config/content.conf

    sudo ./scripts/download-content.sh

Things to know

  • Requires dedicated hardware: a Raspberry Pi 5 with an NVMe SSD of at least 256 GB.
  • Default content needs about 150 GB and downloads can take many hours.
  • Some map downloads may be blocked in certain countries and need a VPN-like workaround such as Cloudflare WARP.

In collections

Self-hosted appsPrivacy & local-first tools

Topics

#raspberry-pi#offline#kiwix#wikipedia#self-hosted#wifi-hotspot#offline-maps

FAQ

What is HAS_Prepper_Disk?
Offline knowledge archive for a Raspberry Pi 5 that serves Wikipedia, maps and survival guides over its own Wi-Fi hotspot, built on Internet-in-a-Box. HAS_Prepper_Disk turns a Raspberry Pi 5 with an NVMe SSD into a self-contained offline library. Wikipedia, maps, medical references and repair guides are stored on the drive and served over the Pi's own Wi-Fi hotspot, so any phone or laptop that joins the network can open them in a browser without internet access.
Is HAS_Prepper_Disk free to use? What license does it have?
HAS_Prepper_Disk is open source under the MIT license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is HAS_Prepper_Disk still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to HAS_Prepper_Disk was on Oct 30, 2026.
What can I use HAS_Prepper_Disk for?
Keeping a reference library available in places without reliable internet, such as remote cabins or during outages. Building a family or group emergency knowledge kit with medical, repair and survival material. Offering offline Wikipedia and map access on a local network for a school, workshop or field site.
How do I install HAS_Prepper_Disk?
Clone the repo: git clone https://github.com/schematrix/HAS_Prepper_Disk.git Mount the SSD at /library: sudo ./scripts/setup-ssd.sh /dev/nvme0n1 Run the installer (30–60 min; re-run if interrupted): sudo ./install.sh Download content listed in config/content.conf: sudo ./scripts/download-content.sh
Where can I get HAS_Prepper_Disk?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/schematrix/HAS_Prepper_Disk

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