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Adding A Node

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K2PMD
Adding A Node

So, I am brand new to all of this and am working hard to get Pittsburgh hams to get a MESH going here. Several of my ham friends are buying hardware and working with their clubs. 

I successfully flashed a Mikrotik hAP AC lite yesterday and it is connected to my primary shack computer. I understand this to be my first node.

I want to add a TP-Link 2.4GHz N300 this weekend which will be mounted on my roof pointing to my closest ham neighbor. Questions:
1. Do I need to have this node on a separate computer or can I connect it my hAP AC lite using the POE out?
2. What about a subsequent node. How do I flash/add these? I was thinking about adding three more TP-Links and have them pointing in all four directions? Do they all need separate computers?
3. I would like to test the first added node with a service like mesh chat. Could I chat between my Mikrotik node to my TP-Link node to make sure it is working. Right now there are no other nodes accessible to me to connect to. 

Please be kind. I am not an engineer. As I used to say in my time in Germany in the Army: Bitte sprechen sie langsam (Please speak slowly). Hi Hi
Paul (K2PMD)

 

AB7PA
Welcome to AREDN!

Paul, welcome to the world of AREDN!  It's so much fun to get these radios in place so they can communicate with each other, especially if you can get a couple of your nearby ham buddies to join you in the adventure.

  1. You do not need to have a separate computer for each of your nodes.  One computer can view the web interface on any number of nodes.  As far as how to connect your two nodes, since they are physically at the same location (collocated) it is best to have them link with each other over an Ethernet cable, rather than forcing them to link over the air (RF).  Your Mikrotik hAP ac lite is great for this because port 5 is preconfigured for "Device to Device" (DtD) linking.  Simply connect an Ethernet cable from port 5 to the LAN port on the TP-LINK's PoE unit, then a cable from the PoE port to the Ethernet jack on your TP-LINK.
  2. You could eliminate the TP-LINK's PoE unit by turning on "PoE Power Passthrough" in the hAP ac lite, but you can probably power only one node that way.  It sounds like you may want several nodes at your site, all DtD linked together.  One easy way to do that is to be sure "PoE Power Passthrough" is disabled on the hAP ac lite and connect an Ethernet cable from port 5 to a separate "dumb" switch.  Then use Ethernet cables to connect the LAN port of your nodes to that switch, which in turn is connected to port 5 on the hAP ac lite.  They will all see each other and DtD link automatically.
         One thing to be aware of is that collocated nodes should not be on the same band and channel.  You should probably consider getting 5.8 GHz nodes, since there are many more channels to choose from.  That would minimize any RF contention between the nodes at your location.  The AREDN documentation has some helpful information in the Network Design Guide section.
  3. Nodes with more memory (at least 64 mb) could probably run MeshChat, and each MeshChat node will automatically discover other nodes using the same "Zone Name" in their service definition.  You and your nearby neighbor nodes will all be able to chat with each other.  You don't actually need to install MeshChat on every node in order to chat across the mesh network, though.  At a minimum you can have MeshChat on your hAP ac lite (for example) and still be able to chat from different computers connected to the LAN on other nodes between sites.

Hope this helps.  Once you get your first two nodes DtD linked through hAP ac lite port 5 and eventually get an RF link to a nearby ham buddy you will begin to think of all kinds of possibilities.  Have fun!

K2PMD
AB7PA, thanks so much. The
AB7PA, thanks so much. The cool thing about your writing is that it is so clear and makes complete sense to me. Thank you for taking the time to explain this so plainly and clearly. You are gifted as a teacher and an Elmer. I'll let you know how things go tomorrow when I give it a shot. Paul K2PMD.
WU2S
WU2S's picture
N300 not supported
Please keep in mind that the TP-Link N300 is not supported by AREDN. or OpenWRT. Were you planning to use 2 N300s (one at your home and one at your friend's home) to setup an RF link over unlicensed 2.4 GHz WiFi?
N3WTT
"N300 not supported
"N300 not supported
Please keep in mind that the TP-Link N300 is not supported by AREDN. or OpenWRT. Were you planning to use 2 N300s (one at your home and one at your friend's home) to setup an RF link over unlicensed 2.4 GHz WiFi?"


This shows under the "Supported Platform Matrix" as CPE210 clicking the link " https://amzn.to/2KVpewy " takes you to the TP-Link 2.4GHz N300.
N3WTT
You may want to request a
You may want to request a tunnel to the global AREDN network to see how things work as an option as well. I have done this as intrest grows in my area for some RF links. This may alow you to see how things work ahead of time?
K2PMD
Thanks
Thanks N3WTT. I do want to try a tunnel. This is something I am going to try this weekend as well since I really I can't connect with anyone else yet RF. Paul K2PMD. 
nc8q
nc8q's picture
I want to add a TP-Link 2.4GHz N300 this weekend

Hi, Paul:

N300 is the wireless speed.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/business-networking/outdoor-radio/?filterby=4827
The model is the CPE210.
But why choose 2.4 GHz? !
There are more channels available in the 5.8 GHz devices.

Chuck

nc8q
nc8q's picture
adding more TP-Links and have them pointing in more directions

adding three more TP-Links and have them pointing in all four directions?
Collocated nodes should (must) be on non-overlapping channels.
In this scenario, it is likely that there may only be one 2.4 GHz node on an unshared channel.
In theory, you could use channels '-2', '1', '6', and '11'.
(Ooopps, channel '11' is not within part 97 allocation.)
In practice, I do not recommend this.
I recommend 5.8 GHz devices.
Initially, I do not recommend that a typical 'home ham' build 360 degree coverage.
Initially, I recommend point-to-point to existing and imminent neighbor hams.
Use point-to-multi-point when applicable.

(Pause and wait for more responses.
 There are many very knowledgeable and experienced folks on this forum.)

Chuck

 

AB7PA
Agree with Chuck NC8Q

I agree with Chuck's comment about using 5.8 GHz nodes whenever possible.  In our area there are some amateur radio groups that offer monetary grants to purchase equipment for club networks, but they will not fund 2.4 GHz devices -- only 5.8 GHz for the reasons Chuck and I mentioned above.

K2PMD
Thnaks AB7PA and NC8Q
Yes, I will heed this advice, especially since we are just starting out in Pittsburgh and the clubs the three or four of us that are talking about this here are going to want to have a greater amount of channels to work with. The only reason I started out with 2.4 was that I saw that there were so many more 2.4 nodes on the map. Luckily, my hAP AC is both 2.4 and 5.8, so buying some 5.8 nodes is certainly in my near future. Thanks again OM, very much appreciate it. 
nc8q
nc8q's picture
The only reason I started out with 2.4 was that I saw that there

The only reason I started out with 2.4 was that I saw that there were so many more 2.4 nodes on the map.

Hi, Paul:

Good logic. :-)
Alas! :-(
Some of these may be 'fossils' from the 'early days'. ;-)

There is no automatic expiration of a node once the 'Upload data to AREDN Servers' button is clicked.
To remove a node one may edit the longitude and latitude to be blank and click the 'Upload data to AREDN Servers' button.
If the node is out of service or failed or abandoned, an email to Randy may remove the node from the map.
All of the very popular indoor multipurpose devices default to 2.4 GHz in the map
(AirRouter, Mikrotik hAP, GL-iNet [USB]150/300/750,...)
although they may not be capable of being, at a minimum, a 'terminal' or ''neighborhood' node.
These devices may be part of a portable 'go-box' or 'go-kit' and only active during an 'event'.

All my devices that the map displays as a 2.4 GHz device are having their longitude and latitude set to a blank value.

Chuck

K2PMD
Thanks again!!!
Hi Chuck, et al

I am up and running. I have the hAP and one TP-Link node operational.  I am on the AREDN map, but no one is near me.... YET. I will be working with the local clubs to get Pittsburgh connected. Thanks again! Paul (K2PMD)

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