Difference between revisions of "Mesh Networking"

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==Introduction==
 
==Introduction==
−
Amateur radio mesh networking uses off the shelf commercial wifi hardware strategically located and loaded with special firmware.  Each mesh “node” automatically configures to route traffic to its destination by the most direct series of nodes.  If a node goes off the air or a new node appears, the system automatically adjusts.  There is no central hub or controller and no need to manually configure routes.
+
*Portions of the ISM bands including 2.4GHz and 5GHz, commonly used for Wifi, overlap with ham bands. 
−
The mesh itself is only a network. Applications for this network are virtually unlimited and include:
+
*Smart folks have created custom firmware for commercial wifi/wisp hardware that allows them to act as "nodes" in an automatically-configuring fault-tolerant mesh network.   
−
*IP phones
+
*It started with the then very common Linksys WRT54G routers but has since moved up to some seriously robust outdoor-rated equipment made by Ubiquity.   
−
*Video feeds
+
*You can do anything with it that you could do over an ordinary LAN - as long as you conform to the Ham regs.   
−
*Text chat
+
*Hams can use
 +
**More power
 +
**Higher gain
 +
**Some frequencies not available to the general public.
 +
 
 +
See this brochure for a good overview:
 +
[https://www.arednmesh.org/aredn-advantage The AREDN Advantage]
 +
 
 +
==Applications and Services==
 +
*IP phones http://www.trevorsbench.com/portable-mesh-node-with-voip-and-wifi/
 +
*IP Camera Video feeds
 +
**Weather/Smoke spotting
 +
*Text chat http://www.trevorsbench.com/meshchat-messaging-for-mesh-networks/
 
*File transfer
 
*File transfer
 
*Hosting intra-net web sites
 
*Hosting intra-net web sites
−
Capabilities such as these could prove invaluable to emergency services in a situation where, for instance, the internet, cell phones and land lines are not available.
+
*Public event coverage
 +
**http://orange-arrl.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/The-Orange-Report-June-2015-V4.pdf (starts on page 15)
 +
*Field-deployable nodes
 +
**http://www.trevorsbench.com/portable-mesh-node-with-voip-and-wifi/
 +
**Temporary nodes can easily be deployed to provide a video feeds along a parade or marathon route, for instance.
 +
 
 +
Capabilities such as these could prove invaluable to emergency services in a situation where, for instance, the internet, cell phones and land lines are not available.
 +
 
 +
==Initial Objectives==
 +
It was proposed that providing IP phone service connecting multiple fire stations would be well-received.
 +
 
 +
==Potential Node Sites==
 +
 
 +
[https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1KYPxJhXX45McCodg6ZuRD0ZT6Mg&hl=en&usp=sharing Google map of potential sites and links]
 +
 
 +
[http://usercontent.arednmesh.org/K/5/K5DLQ/livemap2.html?lat=40.761042&lon=-74.986557&z=13 Warren County view of official AREDN live map]
 +
 
 +
===Action Items===
 +
*83 Fire Washington Boro '''Complete 12/10/2016'''
 +
*WC Tech roof '''Complete 11/10/2017'''
 +
*76 Fire Washington Twp.
 +
**Pleasant Valley Rd.
 +
**Washburn Ave
 +
*Montana Moutain Tower
 +
**Omni antenna w/ Rocket radio
 +
*23 Fire Harmony
 +
**KC2VGY Kyle?
 +
**KC2WCQ Robert Mohr
 +
**KC2SJU Brain Unangst
 +
*21 Rescue Belvidere
 +
**KC2SJT Michael Unangst
 +
**KC2SJU Brian Unangst
 +
*Lopatcong FD #2
 +
**K2FN Kevin Murray
 +
 
  
−
==Initial Ideas==
 
−
Initially I supposed that the W2SJT VHF repeater site would be a good location for the first mesh station due to its vantage point.  However, the inherent inconvenience of accessing high up on the tower and the complexity of covering multiple directions from one site leads me to believe that we shouldn’t attempt it until we have some initial experience with smaller scale installations. 
 
  
−
It was proposed that providing IP phones service connecting multiple fire stations would be well-received.
+
===Most wanted list===
−
==Phase One==
+
Hams w/ favorable QTH - need introductions
−
We've already experimented with nodes that are relatively near each other so the next step could be to temporarily create a more complex network over longer range where some nodes can not see all the other nodes. 
+
*NJ
−
==Phase Two==
+
** N2WVW William Kober - Kobers Truck Parts edge of Montana Mountain
−
The next goal could be creating a semi-permanent link between two locations that could be further expand. 
+
*** Interesting guy: http://www.arrl.org/soapbox/view/5777
−
*Harmony Firehouse and Belvidere Ambulance Squad are two locations that were proposed and they seem to be in good line of site of each other. WC3T in Nazareth PA may be reachable from Harmony.
+
**KC2VGS Charles Nyland - Cemetery Hill Rd. w/ view to South
−
*The roof or Warren Tech may provide line of site to Washinton Boro Firehouse to the East and K2FN to the West.
+
*PA
−
==Site Requirements==
+
**Paxinosa Rd. Easton
−
The microwave frequencies used for mesh networking propagate strictly line-of-sight.  Even tree leaves can attenuate the signal so a location that looks good on a map may be unusable in reality.  Elevation in excess of what's required to clear any obstacles does not appreciably improve performance. 
+
***KB3MXP Schwartzman, Daniel M - email on QRZ - KD2EVR to contact
 +
***K3HKZ ADAMS, CHARLES F
 +
***N3TAN CIACCIO, RAYMOND V
 +
***W0RSJ Murphy, William T
 +
***W3DKV CARRON JR, LAWRENCE P
 +
***KB2WFR LOKEY, PAUL E
 +
**N3LWY FRANKENFIELD, DAVID J Morgan Hill, Easton
  
−
The hardware itself is designed for outdoor use and can typically be mounted to a vertical 1.5" diameter pipe.  Outdoor rated, shielded Ethernet cable is then run into the building.  Power at 12-24VDC is delivered over the Ethernet cable via passive POE.  The node is stand-alone so Ethernet cabling is not strictly required unless its needed to connect other equipment to the mesh. 
+
==Logistics==
  
−
Nodes can be powered from an AC-input power supply as well as batteries charged by solar, wind, etc. 
+
===Hardware Inventory===
−
==Hardware Inventory==
 
 
Courtesy of KD2EVR
 
Courtesy of KD2EVR
−
*4x Nanostation M2
+
*4x Nanostation M2 ([https://dl.ubnt.com/datasheets/nanostationm/nsm_ds_web.pdf Datasheet])
−
*5x Nanobridge M2
+
**1 at KD2CXC
 +
**1 at KD2EVR
 +
**1 at 83 Fire
 +
**1 available
 +
*5x Nanobridge M2 ([https://dl.ubnt.com/datasheets/nanobridgem/nbm_ds_web.pdf Datasheet])
 
*3x AC-input POE Injectors
 
*3x AC-input POE Injectors
−
==Wish List==
+
**KD2CXC, 83 Fire, 1 available
−
*Outdoor shielded CAT5 cable
+
*2x DC-input 4-port POE Injectors
−
*Shielded Connectors
+
*3x WRT54G Router nodes
 +
*1x TP-link travel router (access point into mesh)
 +
*1x Raspberry Pi w/ Camera (IP camera setup)
 +
*Toughcable Pro Outdoor shielded CAT5 cable 1000ft spool
 +
**~50ft at 83 Fire
 +
*Shielded RJ45 Connectors 50pcs
 +
**2 at 83 Fire
 +
 
 +
 
 +
===Wish List===
 +
*More Nodes
 
*Grounding wire
 
*Grounding wire
 
*Lightening arrestors
 
*Lightening arrestors
−
*More Nodes
+
**[https://dl.ubnt.com/guides/ETH-SP/ETH-SP_QSG.pdf ETH-SP]https://amzn.com/B00R20OIAY
 
*POE Injectors (with and without AC power supply)
 
*POE Injectors (with and without AC power supply)
 +
**https://amzn.com/B00SU9DNDY
 +
**https://amzn.com/B00NTTHLRO
 +
**https://amzn.com/B00HXT8LPW
 
*CAT5 Patch Cords
 
*CAT5 Patch Cords
 
*Managed and Unmanaged network switches for linking multiple nodes at the same site
 
*Managed and Unmanaged network switches for linking multiple nodes at the same site
−
*Gel-cells for temporary
+
*IP Phones
 +
**https://amzn.com/dp/B015YNST1O
 +
**https://amzn.com/B00KNU2TRE
 +
*IP Cameras
 +
**https://amzn.com/B01HTYW2Q4
 +
*Gel-cells for temporary nodes
 +
*Battery Chargers
 +
**https://amzn.com/B0051D3MP6
 +
*Solar charger controllers
 +
*Site Access!
 +
 
 +
==Background/Reference==
 +
===LOS Link Checking Tools===
 +
*https://airlink.ubnt.com/
 +
*http://www.heywhatsthat.com/
 +
===Site Requirements===
 +
*Strictly line-of-sight
 +
**Even tree leaves can attenuate the signal
 +
*Nodes mount to 1.5" dia vertical pipe
 +
*Outdoor rated, shielded CAT5 cable provides POE power and wired connectivity to site services
 +
*Power is 12-24VDC
 +
**AC input power supply
 +
**Batteries
 +
***Float charged backup
 +
***Solar/Wind/etc.
 +
*Multiple nodes at one site
 +
**Probably need to be on different channels
 +
***http://tim-yvonne.com/ham/mesh/array/index.htm
 +
**Two nodes can be linked directly ethernet port to ethernet port
 +
**More than two need a network switch
 +
***http://www.aredn.org/content/device-device-linking-dtdlink
 +
***https://www.scc-ares-races.org/mesh/doc/D2D_Linking_BBHN_Ubiquiti_v150504.pdf
 +
*HF/VHF radios on site not likely to be a problem
 +
**scroll down http://www.tim-yvonne.com/ham/mesh/
 +
 
 +
===Hardware Types===
 +
*All started with Linksys WRT54G router
 +
*Mostly superseded by Ubiquiti outdoor-rated units
 +
**Dual-chain devices are preferred
 +
***Nanostation - 60 degree beam width
 +
***Nanobridge - narrow beam
 +
***Rocket - up to 120 degree sector antenna or Omni
 +
**Single chain
 +
***Bullet
 +
***Airgrid
 +
*Compatibility
 +
**WARNING - Ubiquiti devices with V5.6 or later factory firmware must first be downgraded to V5.5 before flashing mesh firmware
 +
**WARNING - The "M" in the Ubiquity nomenclature is important.  For instance, a "Nanostation 2" is an older device and not usable - you want a "Nanostation M2"
 +
**http://broadband-hamnet.com/which-hardware-to-use.html
 +
**http://www.arednmesh.org/content/supported-platform-matrix
 +
*[http://ae5ca.com/?p=74 Your first BBHN node should be a NanoStationM2]
 +
 
 +
===Node Software===
 +
*Broadband-hammnet (BBHN)
 +
**originally named High Speed Multi-Media (HSMM) http://broadband-hamnet.com/
 +
**Still supports WRT54G router
 +
*Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN) https://arednmesh.org/
 +
**Spun off from BBHN
 +
**More active development
 +
**More descriptive and "professional" sounding name when approaching agencies
 +
**Dropped support of WRT54G
 +
*HSMM-Pi https://github.com/urlgrey/hsmm-pi
 +
**Install script for Raspberry Pi
 +
**Probably works on other Linux PC's as well
 +
Good news as that all current versions still interoperate so far.

Revision as of 15:01, 8 September 2018

Introduction

  • Portions of the ISM bands including 2.4GHz and 5GHz, commonly used for Wifi, overlap with ham bands.
  • Smart folks have created custom firmware for commercial wifi/wisp hardware that allows them to act as "nodes" in an automatically-configuring fault-tolerant mesh network.
  • It started with the then very common Linksys WRT54G routers but has since moved up to some seriously robust outdoor-rated equipment made by Ubiquity.
  • You can do anything with it that you could do over an ordinary LAN - as long as you conform to the Ham regs.
  • Hams can use
    • More power
    • Higher gain
    • Some frequencies not available to the general public.

See this brochure for a good overview: The AREDN Advantage

Applications and Services

Capabilities such as these could prove invaluable to emergency services in a situation where, for instance, the internet, cell phones and land lines are not available.

Initial Objectives

It was proposed that providing IP phone service connecting multiple fire stations would be well-received.

Potential Node Sites

Google map of potential sites and links

Warren County view of official AREDN live map

Action Items

  • 83 Fire Washington Boro Complete 12/10/2016
  • WC Tech roof Complete 11/10/2017
  • 76 Fire Washington Twp.
    • Pleasant Valley Rd.
    • Washburn Ave
  • Montana Moutain Tower
    • Omni antenna w/ Rocket radio
  • 23 Fire Harmony
    • KC2VGY Kyle?
    • KC2WCQ Robert Mohr
    • KC2SJU Brain Unangst
  • 21 Rescue Belvidere
    • KC2SJT Michael Unangst
    • KC2SJU Brian Unangst
  • Lopatcong FD #2
    • K2FN Kevin Murray


Most wanted list

Hams w/ favorable QTH - need introductions

  • NJ
  • PA
    • Paxinosa Rd. Easton
      • KB3MXP Schwartzman, Daniel M - email on QRZ - KD2EVR to contact
      • K3HKZ ADAMS, CHARLES F
      • N3TAN CIACCIO, RAYMOND V
      • W0RSJ Murphy, William T
      • W3DKV CARRON JR, LAWRENCE P
      • KB2WFR LOKEY, PAUL E
    • N3LWY FRANKENFIELD, DAVID J Morgan Hill, Easton

Logistics

Hardware Inventory

Courtesy of KD2EVR

  • 4x Nanostation M2 (Datasheet)
    • 1 at KD2CXC
    • 1 at KD2EVR
    • 1 at 83 Fire
    • 1 available
  • 5x Nanobridge M2 (Datasheet)
  • 3x AC-input POE Injectors
    • KD2CXC, 83 Fire, 1 available
  • 2x DC-input 4-port POE Injectors
  • 3x WRT54G Router nodes
  • 1x TP-link travel router (access point into mesh)
  • 1x Raspberry Pi w/ Camera (IP camera setup)
  • Toughcable Pro Outdoor shielded CAT5 cable 1000ft spool
    • ~50ft at 83 Fire
  • Shielded RJ45 Connectors 50pcs
    • 2 at 83 Fire


Wish List

Background/Reference

LOS Link Checking Tools

Site Requirements

Hardware Types

Node Software

  • Broadband-hammnet (BBHN)
  • Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN) https://arednmesh.org/
    • Spun off from BBHN
    • More active development
    • More descriptive and "professional" sounding name when approaching agencies
    • Dropped support of WRT54G
  • HSMM-Pi https://github.com/urlgrey/hsmm-pi
    • Install script for Raspberry Pi
    • Probably works on other Linux PC's as well

Good news as that all current versions still interoperate so far.

Retrieved from "http://wc2fd.com/index.php?title=Mesh_Networking&oldid=1836"