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Backbone 5Ghz Links & End User Connections

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AA0Z
Backbone 5Ghz Links & End User Connections
We are starting to design and throw around ideas about installing an AREDN network in and around the city.

We have 5 repeater cabinets on rooftops that we'd like to use for AREDN backbones.  We have a 2.4ghz point to point private network at each of these repeater cabinets that we use for command and control that we'd like to keep in place so it's separate from the AREDN network. 

We'd like to explore the idea of using 5Ghz for both our backbone and end user connections from the repeater sites.

Question : if we do use 5Ghz for backbone links using dish antennas pointing to each repeater cabinet, even if an end user had line of site to one of the dish backbone antennas, they could possibly connect their AREDN router to that dish to get on the network?  

If the above answer is yes, is there a way to prevent end users from connecting directly to backbone links?

Thanks

 
K6CCC
K6CCC's picture
Yes, they can, and no you can
Yes, they can, and no you can't prevent it.
 
AB7PA
Should work in the 5cm band
Usually the dish antennas used for point-to-point links have very narrow beamwidth, so it might be difficult for end users to link unless their devices are aligned with the beam ~ and they would need to know the channel number, width, and SSID. You should use a separate channel for each link, and you could use a different SSID for the point-to-point links, too. Then at each repeater site you could install sector antennas for user connectivity, again using separate channels & SSIDs for each of those. There are enough non-overlapping 5.8 GHz channels that you should be able to implement a Channel Plan with good coverage over a fairly wide area. Not sure if this short video might help: https://youtu.be/L14aknX4RBQ There is a section in the online AREDN documentation that covers this, too: https://arednmesh.readthedocs.io/en/latest/arednNetworkDesign/channel_pl...
nc8q
nc8q's picture
prevent end users from connecting directly to backhaul links?

+1 with both Jim and Steve.
You may make the link criteria obscure or awkward.
You may discourage users.
Encouraging users to not use your backhaul links by
designing a cooperative network that includes user links
may suffice in lieu of your desire to prevent.

3s, Chuck
 

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