My neighborhood net writeup assumes your neighbors already have some kind of radio. Realistically, most of them do not and never will, and a comms plan that ignores them entirely wastes a resource: proximity. People right next door are useful to know about regardless of what gear they own.
Not Everyone on Your Street Is Going to Buy a Radio
Accept this instead of fighting it. Most people are not going to buy a GMRS radio because you suggested it, and pushing too hard makes you the weird prepper neighbor rather than someone people actually want to coordinate with when it matters.
A Physical Signal System Costs Nothing
A colored cloth or sign in a front window, agreed on informally as I’m okay or I need help, works for neighbors regardless of what radio gear they own or don’t. It costs nothing, requires no batteries, and gives you a way to check on an entire street at a glance without a single conversation.
Make Yourself the Known Point of Contact
Being the person on the block who has a radio, knows what is going on, and is willing to relay information is genuinely valuable to radio-less neighbors, even if they never buy gear themselves. This is the informal version of the coordinator role I describe in organizing a neighborhood net, minus the expectation that anyone else participates actively.
Keep It Voluntary, Not Preachy
Offer information and help without turning every conversation into a pitch for why they should be more prepared. The neighbors most likely to actually take you up on a radio, a signal system, or a warning are the ones you have not lectured about it beforehand.
For the fuller picture on building real emergency communications capability, see my Emergency Communications and Preparedness pillar page.