Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network, Inc. AREDN Releases a Major Upgrade to its Mesh Network Software AREDN just released version 3.18.9.0, a significant upgrade of its mesh operating system. New features in this release include: Support for nearly the entire line of Ubiquiti AirMAX commercial wireless routers, including its newer “XW” versions Support for new devices from TP-Link and MikroTik bringing vendor diversity to its offering A greatly simplified software installation and upgrade process which eliminates unique software installation instructions for specific models Thousands of enhancements and bug fixes to OpenWRT, the core-basis of AREDN. The improvements are derived from the last four years of open source development. The current OpenWRT code base brings additional stability and security to the network An upgrade to the current version of the Linux kernel, improving the stability of the network and increasing the utilities a control operator has at his/her disposal Expanded the maximum number of “local server” IP addresses from 13 to 29, increasing the number of services a ham can offer others on the network An enhanced antenna pointing tool that simplifies alignment of high-gain/narrow beam width nodes This represents the culmination of over 2 years of work and is a major milestone for this all ham/all volunteer project team. AREDN Inc. is a non-profit, Open Source, software development group which writes and promotes the development of firmware for repurposing Wireless ISP (WISP) devices for use under 47 CFR Part 97 - Amateur Radio Service. The repurposed devices, referred to as “AREDN Nodes” are deployable by licensed amateur radio operators (“Hams”) and which interoperate to form a high-speed data network useful to emergency responders and disaster service agencies during times of local and regional disasters. Details can be found on the website at www.arednmesh.org AREDN is a 501(c)(3) public charity. Contributions to the project may be tax deductible. Before contributing, check with your tax advisor to determine if this is available to you. For more information, contact Randolph W. Smith, wu2s@arednmesh.org See the AREDN website for further information and software, www.arednmesh.org ###
Awesome news. Headed to the website now to read up on it more. By the way, the link to your website in the post above is broken. It points to "https://forums.qrz.com/file:///C:/Users/Andre/Downloads/www.arednmesh.org".
I've recently been to a presention about mesh networks as part of a day long event called HAM TEC, sponsored by the Elmira Radio Club in Elmira, Ontario, Canada. I've been a fan of the mesh net concept for some time now and this presentation further reenforced my view that mesh nets should be a valuable part of all amateur radio operations. Such a system could greatly our ability to respond to emergencies and make ARES type situations much easier to handle. Ad-Hoc mesh nets could also be very useful in a variety of grid down and rapid deployment scenarios. Upgrading software for an already useful tool will go some distance toward making mesh networks easier to get up and running.
