HSMM-MESH™ PRESENTATION FOR THE ARES MEETING Bill Wallace KC0TGY

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HSMM-MESHPRESENTATION FOR THE ARES MEETING
Bill Wallace KC0TGY
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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

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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

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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

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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)

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Bands
Part 97 Amateur Radio
2.45 Ghz
2.39 Ghz
ISM
ISM
2.45 Ghz
2.40 Ghz
2.50 Ghz
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Bands
2.39 Ghz
Part 97 Amateur Radio ISM
ISM
2.45 Ghz
2.40 Ghz
2.50 Ghz
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Channel Usage
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Bands

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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)

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Power Limits

• Part 97 Ham regulations
• Maximum Transmitter Power Output (TPO) is 100
  watt or 50dBm
• No EIRP limits

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dBm to Watts
(FAB-Corp)
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Equipment

• Inexpensive
• Higher Power
• Modified Firmware
• High Power Amplifiers (BDAs) Do Not Use
• Antennas

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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.

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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.

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Routers / Client Cards
Linksys WRT54GL Router Modified Firmware 250mW
Max Output? (Linksys)
Z-Com XI-325HP External Antenna
Connectors 300mW Max Output (Pasadena Networks,
LLC)
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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)
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Antennas
DieCast Parabolic Grid 24dBi Gain (FAB-Corp)
ARC Wireless Patch 19 dBi Gain (FAB-Corp)
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Homebrew

Pringles Cantenna (Spicey Cajun) 12db Gain
(est.) (Gregory Rehm)
Bi-quad Attached to DSS Dish 27-31 dbi
(est.) (Trevor Marshall)

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Uses

• Digital Video with Remote Control
• Emergency Data Communications (e-mail, file
  transfers including images)
• VOIP (Voice Over IP) Telephones
• Repeater linking

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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

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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.

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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.

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HSMM NETWORK DIAGRAM
ACCESS POINT
ACCESS POINT
2 Omni outdoor antenna for local area 2 _at_ 70
each 140.00 2 routers WDT54-GL 2 _at_60
120 2 Antenna Poles 2_at_20 40 2 laptops
(personal machines.) (network control stations.)
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ACCESS POINT SYSTEM DIAGRAM
RELAY UNIT OR ANOTHER ACCESS POINT
USERS
LINKSYS ROUTER
CONTROL COMPUTER COULD ALSO BE FILE SERVER OR
E-MAIL SERVER
LOCAL AREA ANTENNA
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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
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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.

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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.

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Ok What is a MESH network

• Now, What is a MESH?
• Here is a MESH (Sample 2 link)

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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.

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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.

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MESH Network Diagram

• Broken net self heals

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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.

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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
• TNCs 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

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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!