HSMM-MESH

[Geek]

Last evening I sat through the Hawthorne, NJ radio club's meeting re: HSMM-MESH.  This is about 45 minutes from my home and not a club I have been involved with previously.  The folks doing the presenting were extremely knowledgeable and had no problem losing me from time to time.  However, by the close of the meeting they had set up a MESH network in the room and demonstrated using the network to transmit live video.  They also flashed a Linksys router with the latest firmware and then upgraded one with older firmware to the latest firmware.

One fellow was talking up using Raspberry Pi computers rather than the Linksys routers, but I finally figured out that this has only been available for a few weeks, and when I asked how long it would be before that would be shaken down adequately for someone like yours truly, I was given the answer of 2 months, so depending on how much on the bleeding edge you want to be, you can figure out where to place yourself.

The thing I found most interesting was the distances these things could communicate, given adequate height and power.  Apparently there has been some testing in various locations and distances between nodes of up to 137 miles have been achieved.  This required absolutely no obstructions, substantial height and an amplified signal.  Since at the moment I cannot see any nearby nodes with my router, and I intend to put up some sort of pole anyhow, I'll probably put up an antenna for it and do some experimenting to see what I can connect with.

The presenters were coming from the perspective of working with local Office of Emergency Management groups and were keen on setting up units with a 12v battery and a waterproof box on local hilltops, etc.  The batteries they were using looked to be about the size of motorcycle batteries.  It sounded like one could expect the unit to function for about 24 hours without attention and then the battery would need recharging.  There was also discussion of putting them in cars or on top of fire trucks and just driving to the location where a node was needed.

Personally, I am hoping to see lots of local HAMS put up one of these and have a network so dense it can't be taken out by something like Hurricane Sandy.  Overall I was left with the impression of great technology, low power requirement, but very new and mostly used by a small group today.  The challenge will be in getting it rolled out to enough locations that one can find other nodes easily.

[madball13]

Thanks for sharing.

With the network up what would they use for programs? E-mail, video and chat?

[Geek]

Thanks for sharing.

With the network up what would they use for programs? E-mail, video and chat?

There seemed to be a lot of enthusiasm for chat, but if someone was willing to put up the necessary servers, you could put up anything you wanted.  The viewpoint of the speakers was very much about putting up a network for use by emergency responders, so presumably they could put up a chosen chat server, run it for the duration of the emergency, and then the whole thing would go down again.  Part of the interest in the Raspberry Pi was that it could be a host for whatever server you wanted.

Personally, if we were talking something like Sandy, I'd be looking to get to the Internet so I could get email out through my normal accounts to folks outside the affected area with the alternative of putting up my own servers only being applicable if I could not get to the Internet.

[madball13]

Really good write ups here:

http://www.4x4ham.com/forumdisplay.php?30-Technical-Write-ups

[Geek]

Really good write ups here:

http://www.4x4ham.com/forumdisplay.php?30-Technical-Write-ups

Thanks for that link.  The series is good and I also found another series on putting together a Raspberry Pi computer! :)

[madball13]

yeah all those technical write ups look pretty good.

Got my router last night and used my RASP to flash it, worked pretty good except i only have one, think i need a few more to actually set up a network.

[Geek]

You need at least two to do any testing unless there is someone else around who has one that you can see.  There don't seem to be any around me, so I want to get a second one, test a bit, then run one up a pole.

[madball13]

You need at least two to do any testing unless there is someone else around who has one that you can see.  There don't seem to be any around me, so I want to get a second one, test a bit, then run one up a pole.

Jumped on eBay to snag a couple more. Threw out a bunch of low bids in the hopes if snagging 2 or 3 for 15-18 a piece. Well I won almost all I bid on and ended up with 8.

[Geek]

At that price you can flash them, leave them tucked away, and then when an emergency hits, pass them out to anyone with a generator.  Were you able to verify that all of them are HSMM-MESH capable before bidding?

[RichardSinFWTX]

I found an old 54G model in a junk drawer the other day.  Sounds like I've got a new purpose for it!   ;D

[Geek]

I found an old 54G model in a junk drawer the other day.  Sounds like I've got a new purpose for it!   ;D

If it is one of the models on the HSMM-MESH list, you are good to go.

[RichardSinFWTX]

It is...already checked!  ;)

[Geek]

Well, that's the best price I've heard of on one of these routers.  :-)

[madball13]

At that price you can flash them, leave them tucked away, and then when an emergency hits, pass them out to anyone with a generator.  Were you able to verify that all of them are HSMM-MESH capable before bidding?

I only bid on ones that were GTG for flashing.

[Geek]

That is great!  If I were you I would falsh all of them now.  Label them with the IDs you want.  Test them.  Set up a couple to use all the time and tuck the rest away for emergency use and backups.