AREDN - Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network

AREDN Mesh Networking evolved out of Broadband Hamnet, which was the originator of this concept. Everything is based off of the OpenWRT platform, which supercharges your basic commercial wireless router.

There is a variant called HamWAN that started up in the Seattle-Tacoma area.

Hams have access to:

• 2.300-2.310 GHz
• 2.390-2.450 GHz
• 3.300-3.500 GHz
• 5.650-5.925 GHz
• And much higher frequencies

In the 2.4 Ghz range, amateur use bleeds into the commercial channels 1-6, but power usage can be more than what commercial part 15 devices can transmit. With AREDN, you can also have access to channels -1 and -2 which bring the center frequency below the commercial spectrum to avoid interference.

Line of sight is crucial in these applications. The Fresnel zone will be the determining factor of making a connection to another station.

Several companies make devices that operate in these frequencies, but custom firmware is used to make the device custom-tailored to amateur use.

A good starting point would be AREDN's recommended device list here: https://www.arednmesh.org/content/supported-platform-matrix

Predominantly, Ubiquiti, Mikrotik, and TP-Link devices are compatible.

Special note on macOS, when using TFTP on the command line, be sure to navigate to the folder where your binary file is (.bin) and then start the process of 'tftp 192.168.1.20'. This will avoid any issues of “missing files” when you go to run the put command. https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=223513

This set up is the exact opposite of the Ubiquiti's flashing, whereas these devices, the routerboard is a TFTP client, and your computer will act as the TFTP server to push the binary file. Follow the instructions here, and preferably, use a Windows machine to save yourself time unless you are well versed in Linux: https://www.arednmesh.org/content/installation-instructions-mikrotik-devices

Video - https://www.youtube.com/embed/7ltUHqG4A7Q

1. Download and install the pxe server at the following link. http://reboot.pro/files/file/303-tiny-pxe-server/. Suggest unzipping the file into a location convenient to you.
2. Within the folder where you have installed the pxe server, open the config.ini file into notepad. Underneath the line that says {dhcp} add a line as follows:

   RFC951=1

3. Save and close the config.ini file
4. From the following link, download the following two files:

   aredn-xxx-xxxxxxx-mikrotik-vmlinux-initramfs.elf

   and the file the firmware file appropriate to your device which in this case will have 'AC' in it.

   aredn-xxx-xxxxxxx-mikrotik-rb-nor-flash-16M-ac-sysupgrade.bin

5. Save these files into a folder named firmware on your desktop so that you know where to find them later.
6. Configure computer’s Ethernet device:

   IP - 192.168.1.10

   Subnet Mask - 255.255.255.0

7. Power on the Microtik device and plug a Ethernet cable from INTERNET port of Microtik to computer’s Ethernet port
8. Launch the Pxe server, click the online button and confirm that the ip address in the Option 54 line is the 192.168.1.10.
9. Copy the .elf file that you downloaded into the files folder in the Pxe server folder.
10. Rename the .elf file you just copied to rb.elf
11. In the Pxe program select the rb.elf file into the firmware line.
12. Uncheck the filename button just below the firmware line. This is important
13. Press the online button in the pxe server software
14. Disconnect the Ethernet cable from the internet port on the Microtik device.
15. If the security alert window pops up check both boxes and accept. The device is now in a state to accept the firmware upload.
16. Plug the Ethernet cable back into the internet port of the device.
17. While holding in on the reset button of the device, plug in the power cord. It may be necessary to hold the reset button for a full minute. As soon as you see activity between the device and the pxe software you can release the reset button.
18. Press offline button in the pxe software
19. Unplug the Ethernet cable from the device.
20. DO NOT UNPLUG THE DEVICE FROM POWER AND ALLOW AT LEAST THREE MINUTES FOR THE DEVICE TO STABILIZE. THE DEVICE HAS NOT RECEIVED THE AREDN SOFTWARE AT THIS POINT AND MUST NOT BE UNPLUGGED FROM POWER
21. Switch the Ethernet cable from the internet port to port two of the device.
22. Goto your browser and type in 192.168.1.1. you should now be in the AREDN software.
23. Go into the setup screen. The default user is root and the password is hsmm.
24. Configure just your SSID, and admin password for the device. Admin username will always be root.
25. Click Save Changes, then reboot.
26. Log in again to the setup screen.
27. Upload the sysupgrade.bin file by going under the administration tab at the top. The first section will have the firmware upload.

Default credentials are root/hsmm - https://www.arednmesh.org/content/default-username-password

Software and details can be found here: http://www.trevorsbench.com/meshchat-messaging-for-mesh-networks

You can install on a node, such as the hAP AC Lite, but it's preferable to install on a Debian Linux-based device, such as a Raspberry pi, or a converted thin client, such as a Dell Wyse 3040. After installing the software package, you will need to modify the systemd startup for apache2, so that the /tmp folder is not set to private for use with apache. If the systemd file is not in /etc/systemd/system, copy it over from /lib/systemd/system and change the PrivateTmp property to 'false' instead of 'true'. Furthermore if you have issues, open up the permissions on /tmp/meshchat/lock from 640 to 666.

Source: https://www.arednmesh.org/content/pi-meshchat-error-sending-message