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Mesh Networking Over Ham Radio, Our OWN Emergency Backbone Network

Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by KJ4YZI, Jan 2, 2018.

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  1. KK4HPY

    KK4HPY Ham Member QRZ Page

    Mesh is bad for a permanent commercial use case if you can avoid it. Mesh is good when you want to throw up an ad hoc network without a lot of coordination and without much expert knowledge.

    If you want something commercial grade checkout HamWAN , they are pro engineers duplicating commercial infrastructure. It may be that HamWAN becomes the backbone and mesh is only used around the edges to fill in dead spots.

    http://hamwan.org/
     
  2. KL7YY

    KL7YY Platinum Subscriber Platinum Subscriber QRZ Page

    Over the past 5 years I have accumulated over 50 Linksys WRT54G/GS/GL routers and they all have the V3.1.0 firmware on them now. Hopefully I can put them to use here in the Colorado Springs area soon. Acquired all of them from garage sales, goodwill, salavation army and ARC stores that I usually visit weekly. My average price for all the ones I bought are around $7.00. I recently acquired a WRT54GV3 that was programmed with a ham call from the Denver area that showed up in a Colorado Springs Goodwill store. I am having trouble putting my call on it. Any suggestions?
     
  3. KL7YY

    KL7YY Platinum Subscriber Platinum Subscriber QRZ Page

    I have a WRT54G TM router. Is it use able for broadband hamnet?
    Their is no other version number on this unit.
     
  4. K0IDT

    K0IDT Ham Member QRZ Page

    Yes, give them wifi and they'll take care of themselves but.....you knew this was coming.......ANY connection to the internet is encrypted. No one seems to care about rules anymore
    but chances of getting busted at 2 or 5G are slim to none and it happens on HF all the time with no consequences. As long as you're not actually in the ham allocations no problem, knock yourself out but it's no longer "ham" radio.
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2018
  5. KC8VWM

    KC8VWM Ham Member QRZ Page

    I think people do care about the rule. It's just that the rule was originally intended for another era and had a different kind of meaning / intention then.

    Could this be an outdated rule that needs revision with certain exceptions permitted for modern times?

    No, I am not advocating breaking the rules, just examining the original intent for creating the rule in the first place.

    The idea was not to obscure communications but even something like requiring a password to access another mesh router could be interpreted as a form of encryption.

    Of course the password is public knowledge but that isn't the point I am making. It's still technically using a method of "encryption." I guess the same could be said for DMR?

    On the other hand, one might even argue requiring a PL tone to access a repeater is a form of encryption for that matter.

    It's just an interesting point you brought up to think about. Nothing confrontational, these are just my wandering thoughts.

    .
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2018
  6. K0IDT

    K0IDT Ham Member QRZ Page

    The problem is not being able to monitor the connection for rules compliance, specifically content. There should be no problem with requiring an encrypted password
    to access a system, control links can be encrypted, it's when you make an https: connection over amateur frequencies, that is a no-no under the rules.
     
    KA0HCP and KC8VWM like this.
  7. KC8VWM

    KC8VWM Ham Member QRZ Page

    I think I understand. It's all about the content, not "access."

    Thanks. :)

    I don't think the internet over ham radio could ever be FCC rule compliant primarily because it contains commercial advertising content on practically every website all over the place. It might have been different back in 1995, but not today.
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2018
  8. K3KIC

    K3KIC Ham Member QRZ Page

    A larger issue is the question of compliance to RF spectrum rules. HAMs are legally and ethically required to assure their stations operate within these rules. HAMS that take unknown code, install it on sometimes questionable hardware, and sometimes operate outside of the original parameters of said hardware, are generally unequipped to determine if they are operating within compliance. Even with the best of intentions an operator takes it on faith that the code he downloads will operate his station within rules.
     
    KC8VWM likes this.
  9. N6ALT

    N6ALT Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    After watching this video I went to our local Goodwill thrift shop and found a WRT54GS for 5 bucks that took the firmware perfectly. I put all my info in it, but haven't had it connect to anybody else yet. I need a outside antenna.

    Joel
    N6ALT
     
  10. KD2NFC

    KD2NFC Ham Member QRZ Page

    I had a whole network setup in my home using RPi's and some computers running ubuntu. I even have some sip voip I was sharing as well as adsb and openwebx. I lost interest an used hardware for other things like winlink and packet data. Did find anyone in my area to connect with. I have links on my page to some stuff Im still hosting from my QTH.
     
  11. K6CLS

    K6CLS Ham Member QRZ Page

    Yes, no commercial content, and no encryption.

    Plenty of stuff to run over the Internet without commercial content, say NTP, VoIP, my own webcams, remote datalogging, etc.

    I suspect you had in mind the Web, which is one thing running over Internet. Yes many web sites show advertising, commercial solicitation. So don't say internet when you mean Web.

    Really hams should understand the difference, it's like the difference between the roads, a taxi, and a truck.

    Encryption: the web over HTTPS uses a combination of cryptography methods in TLS. Absolutely forbidden for Amateur transmission.

    But that's just the web, not the entire range of services available via IP. Regardless of whether the IP is routed to the public Internet.
     
  12. W1YW

    W1YW Ham Member QRZ Page

    Well!

    It always amuses me that what is old is new...

    The first mesh networks were spark driven circa 1910-1920+ . People were the 'mesh'. Hence the American Radio RELAY League :)

    The second wave was the 2M repeater system, still in use, although , unfortunately, much abused by a tiny minority of users.

    What I think is helpful is not necessarily to point out meshing--which is obviously a good thing-- but to point out its advantages over , say, 2M repeaters.

    I know some of this is obvious, but you'd be surprised what people think of at first glance.

    Nice video, and it would be great if you could do bullet points of what you can do with mesh networking as opposed to 2M or 440 FM repeaters.

    73
    Chip W1YW
     

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