Report on Meshoween 2021 network test

Note - this report is written from a Southern California perspective. Depending on your location, as they say YMMV!

During the test the node count on the linked networks locally rose to around 1,090.  N2MH's N2MH-Hub saw 1428, most likely a record for an AREDN network.

Observations:

As we hoped, network storms never appeared from our West Coast point of view, and none have been reported to date.  Network traffic was not substantially higher than normal. Using KN6PLV's Mesh Monitor, messages per second were averaging about 600 before the test.  During the test it hovered closer to 700. Most of the increase in traffic was due to OLSR routing broadcasts, which each node has to handle.

As we expected, older devices struggled. Many wound up with a load significantly greater than 1 (which is a full...

Meshoween test results

We've wrapped up the Meshoween network abuse test  :-). 
If you participated and have any specific observations, please pass them along to me (orv.beach@gmail.com) and they'll be rolled them into the report on the test. 

tl;dr - it went pretty well - a few surprises.

Network Test Saturday, October 30th

As an AREDN network grows in size and/or complexity, it will eventually encounter a packet storm that would pretty much cripple its traffic-carrying capabilities until the storm fades out, which could be hours.  (The writers of the OLSR mobile routing protocol probably never envisioned it having to handle networks of the size amateurs are creating.)  This is significantly limiting the growth and performance of our networks.

Recently released nightly build 571 provides a substantial amount of resistance to these storms.  As a test of the network's robustness (or not) Saturday October 30th at 9 a.m. local we'll attempt to link as many AREDN networks together as possible.  

We did a 'test test' earlier in the week on the West Coast when the Southern California and Bay area networks were linked.  Node counts got up to a bit over 800 and few reports...

Meshoween is in a week!

Folks, next Saturday is Meshoween, where nasty packet storms strike terror into the most experienced ham network user :-)

Seriously, we'll be linking up big and small networks to see how our ham radio networks handle huge routing table broadcasts.

If you haven't yet updated your node(s) to nightly build 571 (or later), please seriously consider doing so.  It will  help your node fight off any scary packet storms!

Monitoring instructions will be promulgated a day or two prior to Meshoween.

It's Linktober!  "Meshoween" is coming :-)

We've found that as networks grow both in node count and complexity, it's almost inevitable that they'll suffer from a packet storm (or storms) eventually.

Now that the patch for mitigating those network packet storms has been rolled into an AREDN nightly build, we've decided that it's time to stress-test our network.  On October 30th (starting at say, 9 a.m. local time) we'll attempt to link as many networks together to see how the network behaves.  If you have a long-haul tunnel that you can bring up, feel free to do so.

HOWEVER, if you decide to participate in the test, or think you might be on a network that gets linked in, it's highly recommended that you update your node(s) to nightly build 571 or later to "inoculate" them against a possible incoming network storm.

Before...

AREDN Conference 

The AREDN team decided to revisit the idea of an AREDN Conference in the Spring of 2022. There are currently a lot of tasks in progress with few of them far along enough to be interesting topics for a presentation.
Continue to watch the AREDNmesh.org website for updates.

 

AREDN® Release v3.21.4.0 is Available

• Fix spike to zero in SNR Chart #90 (ab7pa)
• Execute Button Description #86 (ab7pa)
• Add Rocket XM ar71xx image to support older models with USB port #83 (ae6xe)
• Fix tunnel server clients accidentally limited to 9 #82 (pmilazzo)
• Add “none” type advanced config options to simplify the UI #81 (dman776)
• Update banner #80 (dman776)
• update login banner #79 (dman776)
• Add mesh gateway setting to sysinfo.json #77 (dman776)
• Add advanced config option to purge AREDN Alert msgs #76 (dman776)
• Update alert banner background color #72 (ab7pa)
• ...

YAAC - "Yet Another AREDN Conference"

Last fall's on-line AREDN Conference went so well that the AREDN team will hold another one this fall.  We're soliciting your ideas for interesting topics for the conference.

Your suggestions requested!  Send to Orv W6BI (orv.beach@gmail.com)

AREDN 2020 Conference Recap

The AREDN team thanks all who attended our 2020 conference to make it a big success.
We also thank Orv W6BI, our AREDN Ambassador, for managaing the event and recording the presentations.
We have started a YouTube channel where we we will post the presentations, Please subscribe.
AREDN YouTube channel link

AREDN® Overview on YouTube

Steve AB7PA just released a YouTube video that he produced to explain the basics of establishing an AREDN mesh network. In just over 17 minutes, Steve answers all the questions you might have if you are new to mesh networking. Take a look at Steve's video here.

AREDN® Release Notes v3.20.3.1 – Preliminary 9 July 2020

The AREDN® team is pleased to announce the general availability of the latest stable release of AREDN firmware. We now fully support 70+ devices from four manufacturers. This diversity of supported equipment enables hams to choose the right gear for a given situation and budget.

Here is a summary of the significant changes since 3.20.3.0 was release:

• Migrate all remaining TP-Link models to ath79 target
• Fix CPE510 v3 image not installing
• Fix Ethernet port to fully conform with AREDN expected usage on NanoStation M5 XW
• Added ability to change and revert firmware and package download paths
• Added target type info (ar71xx/ath79) to admin page
• Fix issue with the map on the setup page PR #501
• Added "aredn alerts" feature in header
• Fix firewall blocking traffic...

AREDN® 2020 Conference

Our energetic AREDN® Ambassador Orv Beach W6BI is organizing our first conference. The planned date is Saturday, October 24, 2020 beginning at 08:00 PDT (1500 UTC). The event will take place on a video conference facility.
Watch for further details here and on our Facebook group.

The Call for Papers will go out and registration will start in early July.  It will be held via Zoom webinar with 500 attendee slots available.

Thanks Orv for getting this event rolling!

AREDN Release Notes v3.20.3.0 – 27 March 2020

The AREDN team is pleased to announce the general availability of the latest stable release of AREDN firmware. We now fully support 70+ devices from four manufacturers. This diversity of supported equipment enables hams to choose the right gear for a given situation and budget.

AREDN firmware is now based on the most recent stable version of OpenWRT19.07.2 which was released in March 2020. This improvement is significant in that it enables AREDN firmware to benefit from the many bug fixes, security improvements and feature enhancements provided by OpenWRT developers from around the world.

The latest AREDN firmware contains features inherited from the newest OpenWRT upstream release (19.07.2). One important change is the inclusion of a new target (architecture) for the firmware, labelled “ath79”, which is the successor to the...

Ham Radio Now on FCC Reallocation of 3/5 GHz

David Goldenberg W0DHG interviews Andre Hansen K6AH, David Erickson KB5UGF and Jim Aspinwall NO1PC to discuss the spectrum defense and proposed changes to the 3GHz and 5GHz bands. These changes will affect current AREDN networks across the nation.
Please remember before you respond to the FCC, make sure you write professionally and to the point. And please reach out to your served agencies and representatives.

Ham Radio Now episode 415
Call to Action
AREDN Comment Template
AREDN High-Speed Data...

ARRL Call to Action in Defense of Part 97 Allocations in the 3 and 5 GHz Bands

The FCC WT Docket 19-348 and WT Docket 19-138 will severely curtail growth of one of the newest and most effective means for Amateurs to support emergency communications.  Existing installations will be severely curtailed or, with no reasonable alternatives, be forced to cease operations.  Thousands of hams have built or are in the process of constructing high-speed data networks in the 3 & 5 GHz ham microwave allocations.

Background

AREDN (Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network) was an outgrowth of the ARRL working group on High-Speed Multimedia (HSMM).  It has evolved over the past 10-12 years from its first implementation by Broadband Hamnet (BBHN).  Over the years the AREDN Project has developed software support for nearly 70 commercial wireless routers---moving them from their Part 15 allocation into adjacent Part...

AREDN Receives Grant from Yasme Foundation

The AREDN Project was recently honored by the Yasme Foundation with the award of a $7000 grant for the purchase of a 20 GHz spectrum analyzer.  The analyzer will be used to understand the characteristics of 802.11 protocols in the unique, long-distance mesh, configurations of AREDN implementations.  It will also afford us the ability to measure, and perhaps, improve the quality of transmissions emanating from AREDN-supported devices.

The AREDN Project team is grateful to the Yasme Foundation for taking the time to consider its need for a spectrum analyzer.  Andre Hansen, K6AH, in speaking for the entire team said, “To be awarded this grant is particularly gratifying for us because it acknowledges the value the AREDN Project affords Amateur Radio.”

The Yasme Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation organized to support scientific and...

AREDN® Ambassadors

The AREDN® team is pleased to announce the start of a new program to recognize people who are actively contributing to spreading the word about how hams can use our 21^st century mesh networking technology to provide high-speed data communications when disasters strike.

We call these special people “AREDN® Ambassadors”.

These are key members of our community who:

• Perform a significant amount of testing to help us verify new features and bug fixes and uncover new flaws.
• Improve feature sets
• Identify new equipment which extends our supported platforms
• Donate their time and effort to building and operating mesh networks
• Promote the AREDN® Project through presentations to clubs and hamfests
• Engage local government, hospitals and other served agencies in discussions about how hams can provide 21^st...

AREDN at Hamvention 2019

It is finally here! We are looking forward to seeing you at Hamvention in Xenia, Ohio this Friday through Sunday, May 17-19.

We are in booth #1001. We will have a lot of equipment on display, including some of the newest gear from Mikrotik and our  fourth supported manufacturer GL-iNet.

In addition to the new hardware, we have made a lot of improvements in the firmware. We want to hear your comments and questions on the recent changes. As always, your ideas help us set the direction for future enhancements.

We will hold some short classes on a variety of topics to help get you started or to extend your capabilities.

Stop by our booth and say hello.

Hamvention® 2019 Theme Promotes Mentoring the Next Generation

Hamvention, the largest annual Amateur Radio gathering in the U.S. and the ARRL National Convention will share a joint theme, “Mentoring the Next Generation” of Amateur Radio operators.

Hamvention will host the 2019 ARRL National Convention in Xenia, Ohio, May 17-19, 2019. The joint announcement was made Nov.1 by Jack Gerbs, WB8SCT, Hamvention General Chairman; Rick Allnutt, WS8G, Assistant General Chairman and Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, ARRL Marketing Manager. The location is the Greene County Fairgrounds on May 17 – 19 in Xenia, Ohio.

The AREDN® team and the Miami Valley Mesh Alliance  will again be in booth #1001. The team is working ardently to mentor hams about the 21^st century applications of mesh networking. We will have a lot of new devices, new firmware enhancements and new ideas...

AREDN Release Notes v3.19.3.0 – 23 March 2019

The AREDN team is pleased to announce the general availability of the latest stable release of AREDN firmware.

Since our last stable release just 6 months ago, the AREDN team has made significant progress. We now fully support 55 devices from three manufacturers, and support an additional 4 devices with some cautions. This diversity of supported equipment enables hams to choose the right gear for a given situation and budget.

Our documentation has been vastly improved. If you haven't seen it recently, please look at the --ONLINE DOCS -- link under the Docs tab on the Main Menu bar. Our documentation is available to download as a PDF so that you can read it offline at your convenience. 

1. AREDN firmware is now based on the most recent stable version of OpenWRT 18.06.2 released in January 2019. This includes a current version of the...

AREDN Release Notes v3.18.9.0 – 26 September 2018

The AREDN team is pleased to announce the general availability of the latest stable release of AREDN firmware.

This release includes many significant improvements in the underlying OpenWRT code during the last 4 years, from July 2014 to August 2018. It also introduces a major upgrade in OLSR from version 0.6.7 to version 0.9.6.2.

Details of the OpenWRT changes are found at the following links:
OpenWRT 18.6.0 – First Stable Release – July 2018
OpenWRT 18.06.1 Service Release
OpenWRT Version History
 

List of Changes

1. AREDN firmware is now based on the most...

​ARRL Awards 2018 Microwave Development Award to AREDN Team

​The ARRL announced that The Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN) project team was named as recipient of the 2018 ARRL Microwave Development Award for its initiatives to utilize Amateur Radio’s microwave bands. These included extending the network’s high-speed multimedia capabilities from solely 2.4 GHz to 900 MHz, 3 GHz, and 5.8 GHz, and adding 802.11n protocol to improve data throughput. The Board also acknowledged the efforts of the many AREDN implementation groups around the country who are building networks based on this technology and who stand ready to utilize them to serve the needs of their communities in times of disaster. 

​AREDN Project Announces Strategic Changes

AREDN forms a non-profit corporation to ensure continuity

The project saw the need for more formal governance and as a result, took the strategic step of organizing as a non-profit corporation.  This will help protect the user-community investments in mesh networking by setting up the framework for long-term resource management, research, and development. 

Our mission is still focused on providing the Amateur Radio Community with software, education, and support to enable them to aid public safety, emergency response and disaster relief agencies with high-speed multimedia data networks.

Continuing to rely on the financial support of a few individuals is not a sustainable means of supporting the project. Without more widespread support, the community’s growing investment in network equipment and...

AREDN code repositories on GitHub

The AREDN source code repositories are now accessible on GitHub at https://GitHub.com/aredn/aredn_ar71xx .   GitHub is one of the largest open source hosting services with over 40 million users.   Anyone with basic knowledge of Linux and git can now compile AREDN images and contribute changes.   If you have a background in application or firmware development, the hurdle to get started and contribute to the ham community is now much lower.

GitHub also includes an issue tracking feature to capture feature requests, bug reports, and other issues.  This immediately replaces our former defect tracking tool (Bloodhound).
 

​AREDN GitHub Activity

The GitHub setup is intended to jump AREDN forward to stay current, and benefiting from, the 1000+ developers of Linux and...

​AREDN Donates Mesh Networking Equipment to ARRL

High-Speed Multimedia Mesh (HSMM) technology has evolved rapidly in recent years due to the development efforts of the Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN) open source project. This has changed the complexion of mesh implementations from an experimental, hobby-oriented, novelty into a viable alternative network suitable for supporting high-speed emergency communications and Internet connectivity when “all else fails.”

The AREDN project team recently donated the following equipment to the ARRL Laboratory:

• Two Ubiquiti Nanostation M3’s for 3.4 GHz
• Two Ubiquiti Nanostation Loco M5’s for 5.8 GHz
• One PowerBeam PBE-M5-300-ISO for 5.8 GHz
• One AirRouter HP (combination 2.4 GHz and Ethernet switch)

The AREDN (pronounced “r-den”) project is working with ARRL, the national...

​Hamvention® 2018 Theme Promotes Community Service

As reported by the ARRL, the theme for Hamvention® 2018 is “Amateur Radio...Serving the Community.” Ron Cramer, KD8ENJ, Hamvention General Chairman, said the theme acknowledges the role that ham radio operators play in their communities, especially in times of emergencies.
 
“During recent disasters, hurricanes in Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico and wildfires in the West, Amateur Radio operators were once again called upon to provide emergency communication assistance when regular services failed or were overtaxed,” Cramer said.
 
He said that in keeping with the theme, Hamvention is planning to have forums on emergency communication and displays of Amateur Radio emergency communication vehicles. Disasters are not the only times that Amateur Radio operators contribute to their communities. 

For more information see the...

​AREDN Group in South Africa Responds to Fire Disaster

A group of amateur radio operators in South Africa known as the the Mossel Bay Mesh Network responded to a call for emergency communications assistance in the recent fire disaster in the Western Cape area. 

After the fires began on 7 June, a call went out for amateur radio assistance on 8 June when cell phone, landline and Internet services were lost.Hams responding to the call include: ZS2I, ZS1Q, ZS1ZS, ZS1HB, ZR1AOC and ZS1I. These radio amateurs worked around the clock to assist their local communities. Johan Terblanche, ZS1I, an administrator of the AREDN Mossel Bay Mesh Network reports that disaster communication links remained active until normal telecommunication service was restored on June 11, while the local hams remain on high alert.

It has been reported that the widespread fire caused a number of fatalities, destroyed over...

QST Magazine Article - AREDN A High-Speed Data Network

Andre Hansen, K6AH wrote an article, published in the June 2017 edition of QST, offering a thorough discussion of a high-speed multimedia network for public service applications..

​We present the full article here, which was reprinted with permission from the June 2017 issue of QST, a publication of the ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio^®

Announcing the Availability of Release Candidate #1 of Our Upcoming v3.17.1.0

AREDN encourages users to load (http://www.arednmesh.org/content/software click Release Candidates) and test version 3.17.1.0RC1 and report any issues to the Forum.
 

​Release Notes 3.17.1.RC1

These notes accompany our 3.17.1.0 Release Candidate-1 and describe changes since our last major production release, v3.16.1.0.
 

New Device Support

Added support for additional Ubiquiti devices which are now flagged as “In testing”:

• AirGrid M5 (XW)
• NanoBeam M5-16 (XW)
• NanoBeam M5-19 (XW)
• NanoStation Loco M5 (XW)
• NanoStation M5 (XW) (in 3.16.1.0)
• Rocket M5 (XW)
• Rocket M5 (with GPS)
• ...

CQ Magazine Article - Mesh Networking and AREDN

Don Rotolo, N2IRZ wrote an article, published in the January 2017 edition of CQ Magazine, updating readers on the world of mesh networking.

​We present the full article here, which was reprinted with permission from the January 2017 issue of CQ magazine, copyright CQ Communications, Inc.
 

Development Code Branch Now Available

HTML Map Contest

Hi AREDN Meshers!

The AREDN Team is looking for a few good men (and ladies)!  The new mapping feature that is in 3.16.1.0 needs your help.
As some of you have seen, we have a good, workable KML map file.  We would like to hold a contest to use that KML to create the best HTML based map that we can host on the www.arednmesh.org website.

CHALLENGE:
To create an HTML embedded map that utilizes the AREDN kml files that can be hosted on www.arednmesh.org.

SKILLS REQUIRED:
Front-end web development: Javascript, CSS, etc.

AREDN PROVIDED SERVICES/FILES:

• Full map with all bands:   http://data.arednmesh.org/map.kml
• 900Mhz band map: ...

New Paper on AREDN Published by TAPR

The Proceedings of the 2015 Digital Communications Conference include a paper, The AREDN Project by Andre Hansen, K6AH, which introduces AREDN, describes implementation techniques and concludes with a roadmap for the future.

Abstract

Mesh technology has been around for ten years or more. Over the past two years a team of developers has advanced the art by porting Broadband‐Hamnet’s extremely popular mesh firmware to the Ubiquiti airMAX line of commercial Wireless ISP routers and expanded its utility across a wide range of microwave bands. This has literally changed the complexion of mesh technology from an experimental, hobby‐oriented, novelty into a viable alternative network suitable for restoring some degree of Inter/intra‐net connectivity “when all else fails.”

In the midst of...

​ARRL Awards 2018 Microwave Development Award to AREDN Team

​The ARRL announced that The Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN) project team was named as recipient of the 2018 ARRL Microwave Development Award for its initiatives to utilize Amateur Radio’s microwave bands. These included extending the network’s high-speed multimedia capabilities from solely 2.4 GHz to 900 MHz, 3 GHz, and 5.8 GHz, and adding 802.11n protocol to improve data throughput. The Board also acknowledged the efforts of the many AREDN implementation groups around the country who are building networks based on this technology and who stand ready to utilize them to serve the needs of their communities in times of disaster. 

Following an introduction by Southwestern Division Directior Dick Norton N6AA, ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR presented the award to AREDN team members Randy Smith, WU2S and Andre...

AREDN™ - The Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network

Mesh technology has evolved over the years.  Most notably, Broadband-Hamnet™ (BBHN) has made substantial progress over the past 2 years in expanding their unique approach to environmentally robust, commercially available, Ubiquiti, hardware.  This has changed the complexion of mesh implementations from an experimental, hobby-oriented, novelty into a viable alternative network suitable for restoring some level of Inter/intra-net connectivity when “all else fails.”

Recently, the developers of BBHN software have kicked-off a new project focused on taking this technology to the next level.  Comprised of the project manager, developers, and several of the testers who brought BBHN to Ubiquiti hardware, this team is geared to pick up where BBHN left-off.

The AREDN Project mission is to provide the Amateur Radio Community with a quality solution for...