HSMM-MESH™
PRESENTATION FOR THE
ARES MEETING
Bill Wallace KC0TGY
Question?
How would you like to have a communications system for
public agency use that could have;
•
Wifi speed internet “type” service between selected
locations
•
net meeting with live audio and video between any
locations
•
e-mail service between any location on the network
•
ability to send and receive any type of document as
an attachment to an e-mail at current
wifi speeds, and
•
full error checking on all transmissions
Question?
How would you like to have a communications system for
public agency use that could have;
•
Supportable with emcomm battery power supplies
•
Without the requirement of actual Internet access
•
On Amateur Radio frequencies
•
Without wires
For less than $300 per link
What is HSMM
► The
HSMM name was coined by the ARRL to
distinguish Amateur use of WiFi protocols by
Amateur Radio Licenses.
► High Speed Multi Media = HSMM
► HSMM Working Committee created as an ARRL
working group in 2001
► Created to develop high speed (above 54 kbps)
digital networks for the Amateur Service
► Encourages the use of “off the shelf” consumer
equipment
Terms
Part 97 We know what this is
► Part 15 Wifi rules and regulations
► ISM (Industrial, Scientific, Medical Bands)
► 802.11 b/g WiFi
► Point-to-Point / Point-to-Multipoint
► BDA (Bi-Directional Amplifier)
Bands
Part 97 Amateur Radio
2.45 Ghz
2.39 Ghz
ISM
2.40 Ghz
ISM
2.45 Ghz
2.50 Ghz
Bands
2.39 Ghz
Part 97 Amateur Radio & ISM
2.40 Ghz
2.45 Ghz
ISM
2.50 Ghz
Channel Usage
Channel
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Total
Number
%of Total
77
7.59%
7
0.69%
8
0.79%
9
0.89%
9
0.89%
609
60.00%
7
0.69%
3
0.30%
15
1.48%
22
2.17%
249
24.53%
1015
Bands
IEEE 802.11b Channels
Channel Low Freq.
1
2.401
2
2.406
3
2.411
4
2.416
5
2.421
6
2.426
7
2.431
8
2.436
9
2.441
10
2.446
11
2.451
Center Freq.
2.412
2.417
2.422
2.427
2.432
2.437
2.442
2.447
2.452
2.457
2.462
High Freq.
2.423
2.428
2.433
2.438
2.443
2.448
2.453
2.458
2.463
2.468
2.473
Power Limits
► Part
15 Unlicensed low power Wifi
 Maximum Transmitter Power Output (TPO) is
1.0 watt or 30dBm
 The maximum EIRP power allowed is 36dBm (4
watts) for Point to Multipoint
 Point to Point allows for much higher formula
based EIRP (I think this is 6 watts)
Power Limits
► Part
97 Ham regulations
 Maximum Transmitter Power Output
(TPO) is 100 watt or 50dBm
 No EIRP limits
dBm to Watts
dB
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Watts
1.0 mW
1.3 mW
1.6 mW
2.0 mW
2.5 mW
3.2 mW
4 mW
5 mW
6 mW
8 mW
10 mW
13 mW
16 mW
20 mW
25 mW
32 mW
(FAB-Corp)
dB
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Watts
40 mW
50 mW
63 mW
79 mW
100 mW
126 mW
158 mW
200 mW
250 mW
316 mW
398 mW
500 mW
630 mW
800 mW
1.0 W
1.3 W
dB
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
Watts
1.6 W
2.0 W
2.5 W
3.2 W
4.0 W
5.0 W
6.3 W
8.0 W
10 W
13 W
16 W
20 W
25 W
32 W
40 W
50 W
Equipment
► Inexpensive
► Higher
Power
► Modified Firmware
► High Power Amplifiers (BDAs) Do Not Use
► Antennas
Range
► Ranges
are normally in the 300 feet or less
range with currently available Part 15
equipment, but can be pushed much farther
with a non-part 15 antenna.
► Range experiments are over 134 MILES
at sea in Italy, 79 MILES in the California
Coastal Mountains, 34 MILES per leg in the
Shenandoah valley, 10 MILES across Austin,
Tx.
SECURITY OF SIGNAL
► WEP
and ENCRYPTION are acceptable to ARRL
and FCC. “Not obscuring the message, securing
the message, password, etc.
► Is the control link to our repeater encrypted or
password protected? Does this “obscure the
meaning of the message”?
► Planning to move the center frequency to in
between channels. No one will see the channel,
NOT EVEN NET-STUMBLER, ETC.
Routers / Client Cards
Linksys WRT54GL Router
Modified Firmware
250mW Max Output?
Z-Com XI-325HP+
External Antenna Connectors
300mW Max Output
(Linksys)
(Pasadena Networks, LLC)
BDAs / Antennas
2.4GHz BDA
1W Max Output (Part 15)
1.8W Max Output (Part 97)
(FAB-Corp)
Comet Omni
15.4 dBi
(FAB-Corp)
Antennas
ARC Wireless Patch
19 dBi Gain
DieCast Parabolic Grid
24dBi Gain
(FAB-Corp)
(FAB-Corp)
Homebrew
Pringles Cantenna
(Spicey Cajun)
12db Gain (est.)
Bi-quad
Attached to DSS Dish
27-31 dbi (est.)
(Gregory Rehm)
(Trevor Marshall)
Uses
► Digital
Video with Remote Control
► Emergency Data Communications (e-mail,
file transfers including images)
► VOIP (Voice Over IP) Telephones
► Repeater linking
2.4 GHz WiFi is Fast
►•
The RF links are around 54 Mbps
 – Packet Radio/APRS 0.0012 Mbps
 – Pactor III .003 Mbps
 – D-Star DD 0.128 Mbps
►•




Home Service
–
–
–
–
FiOS (Fiber Optic) 2 Mbps up / 15 Mbps down
T1 1 Mbps
DSL 0.768 Mbps, 0.512 Mbps, 0.368 Mbps
Dialup 0.014 – 0.056 Mbps
Limitations
► 2.4GHz
Propagation
► Busy Spectrum
► However, Non Part 15 use is secondary
► Part 97 use is Primary for a change!
► Caution: We do not want to disturb the big
dogs. Bidirectional Amps are seldom
necessary. Stay off channels 1 and 6. Use
height and directional antennas to avoid
interference to WiFi users and suppliers.
Local Groups Direction
► Point
to Multi-Point Router at
Hospitals/clinics
► Mesh of Access Points Feeding From/To
Hospital --- with enough relay stations
properly located, no problem.
HSMM NETWORK DIAGRAM
ACCESS POINT
ACCESS POINT
2 Omni outdoor antenna for local area 2 @ $70 each = $140.00
2 routers WDT54-GL 2 @$60 = $120
2 Antenna Poles
2@$20 = $40
2 laptops (personal machines.) (network control stations.)
ACCESS POINT SYSTEM
DIAGRAM
RELAY UNIT OR
ANOTHER
ACCESS POINT
USERS
LINKSYS
ROUTER
CONTROL COMPUTER
LOCAL
AREA
ANTENNA
COULD ALSO BE FILE
SERVER OR E-MAIL
SERVER
HOW FAR CAN WE LINK APs
TOGETHER
NEEDS PHYSICAL LINE OF SITE FROM AP TO AP UNIT
IN SOME VERY FLAT OPEN TERRAIN, DISTANCE TO HORIZON PLUS
ANTENNA HEIGHT EFFECT.
IN SOME MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN WITH ACCESSIBLE OPENING IN THE
FOLIAGE, 34 TO 75 MILES BETWEEN AP POINTS AND APs IN BETWEEN.
IN ST. LOUIS? HOW HIGH CAN YOU GET THE DISH AND ROUTER AS A
PACKAGE? REMEMBER DISH MUST BE PRE- POINTED OR ROTATABLE
TO POINT AT ACCESS POINTS.
NO FOLIAGE BETWEEN POINTS, CLEAR LINE OF SIGHT……
Ok What is a network
► Review:
Ad Hoc or sometimes called a Peer
to Peer network
 Point to Point network.
 Node address manually assigned
 looks like this.
Ok, What is a network
► Review:
Infrastructure network
 star shaped network.
 Nodes joint and drop off.
 Access Point controls many service functions
like assigning addresses.
Ok What is a MESH network
► Now,
What is a MESH?
► Here is a MESH (Sample 2 link)
Characteristics of a MESH
► In
a MESH each node has the intelligence to
link to any other node it can physically hear
on the network.
► In a MESH each node self builds tables
used for routing messages trough the MESH
to the desired destination.
► Connect a node to a resource (internet,
video camera, etc) all nodes have access to
the asset.
Characteristics of a MESH
► In
a MESH as a new node appears, the
routing tables are recreated to account for
the new node.
► In a MESH, if any node disappears, the
routing tables are recreated to account for
the lack of that node.
► In a MESH, duplicate transmissions of
messages are stopped by a node.
MESH Network Diagram
► Broken
net self heals
HSMM-MESH™
►A
HSMM-MESH System is HSMM equipment
usually COTS, special free software /
firmware with MESH software loaded over it
on a router.
► Does not require a separate repeater
► Ready to go right now.
HSMM vs. Packet
Packet
► 1200 bps to 19200 bps
► Requires special (rare)
knowledge to set up, use
► Requires special software
to use
► Routing is difficult
► Uses common radios &
antennas
► TNC’s are expensive
► Generally uses UHF down
to HF
HSMM
•60 kbps to 54 mbps
•Requires special
(common) knowledge to
set up, but use is common
knowledge
•Software is commonplace
•Routing is simple
•Equipment ranges from
common to uncommon
•Equipment is cheap
•Runs on 900MHz and
higher
Ham Equipment
Icom D-STAR
 Runs on 1.2 GHZ, combines FM voice and 128kb
data
 Requires separate, proprietary analog and digital
repeaters
 System of components including mobile radio, voice
and data repeaters and a 10GHz backhaul radio
 Mobile has ethernet, USB connections
 Pricey!