Here we will try to enlighten and educate you all about the High Speed Multimedia MESH network HSMM-MESH™ currently being designed, developed and deployed as an amateur radio broadband communications system. It is being used in and around Austin, and Plano Texas, as well as other sites.

Glenn KD5MFW, David AD5OO, Bob WB5AOH and Rick NG5V are the gents spearheading the efforts, while yours truly, Jim K5KTF is trying to get this site up and going to provide information about the project. There is a distributed development community with significant activity in the Dallas/Plano area and interest growing elsewhere.

HSMM-MESH™ is a high speed, self discovering, self configuring, fault tolerant, wireless computer network that can run for days from a fully charged car battery, or indefinitely with the addition of a modest solar array or other supplemental power source. The focus is on emergency communications.

In its current form it is built using the Linksys WRT54GL wireless router and operates on channels 1-6 of the 2.4GHz ISM band, which overlaps with the upper portion of the 13cm amateur radio band. Other platforms and bands may be supported as development resources permit.

OLSR is used for auto linking of the mesh node radios.

OpenWRT firmware tools are used for firmware development.

Please check back often as I will be building this as spare time (eg in between paying work) allows.

We appreciate your interest, but please understand that it may take a while to respond to your questions.

Thanks and 73

Jim

K5KTF

In order to gain benefit from this system you must be fluent in TCP/IP networking or be a highly motivated self-starter who can independently acquire that fluency. At this stage there are relatively few developers and users, and they are already stretched thin with their current contributions. While we have made the system as easy to use as possible, it can still be a complex system and we cannot offer any basic network training. As our user and developer base grows we may collectively be able to offer such support but at this time you are responsible for your own education in the fundamentals of computer networking.

HSMM-MESH™ is not a fully mature, time tested, finished product. However, its basic functionality is proven and it is quite useful in its current state. It provides a network infrastructure upon which numerous applications can be built. This project is in its infancy and requires contributions from its users and developers before it will be suitable for a wider audience. If you have a specific application in mind, hop on board and help us grow the capabilities of the mesh.

HSMM-MESH™ is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It may or may not be suitable for your application. You will be better served by changing your application to fit the mesh than the other way around. Using a mesh node is relatively easy. Setting up its internal structure and services to create the mesh is not easy, but it is very easy to break if not done correctly. While it is essential to have an understanding of general networking principles to use the mesh effectively, the mesh is not a conventional network. You will have to learn some new ways of thinking about networking. I strongly recommend reading the HSMM-MESH Design Philosophy article for an overview of how the system is designed.

All that being said, this is a new way to HAVE FUN with ham radio! For $60 you will not be able to find a more capable radio than that contained in a WRT54G. If you have grown weary of the colossally slow pace of digital communications with HF and VHF radio, give HSMM-MESH™ a try!

Are you an HSMM-MESH™ experimenter?

We have a mail list for people assisting in the development of  HSMM-MESH™. It was formed as the original developers launched the project. If you want to share your user experiences, help/get help from other users, or submit ideas and requests to the developers, this group may be for you. DO NOT join just because you want to watch the mail go by. The 80/20 rule is near universal in application. If you are just learning, the web site may have all you need. If you are actively doing this stuff, the mail list can help. Once you have a mail list membership and a Yahoo identity, all of the archives will also become available to you. Read the general disclaimer on the front page. Basic networking is pretty broad but you can find specialized tips here on how to solve problems on a mesh network. A good way to start is by cruising the archives.

The mail list is not moderated but we will remove users who detract from the development effort. This includes any personal attacks or "what a stupid idea" posts. There is already enough negative energy in ham radio. The mail list is a place to share experiences with others who have the same interest as you. It is also an opportunity to support each other and learn how this versatile tool can be used. If you are still interested, do the following. Send a note to the webmaster requesting to be on the mail list. You also need to include answers to the 4 questions below.

Callsign
City/State
Your target uses for this network tool
Which ham group(s) you are assisting with mesh networking (if applicable)

The editor login on the front page provides access to edit content. There are no user accounts on the web site. Unauthenticated web users have full access to this site by default. The only other membership feature for HSMM-MESH is the developer mail list mentioned above.

73 from the mesh development team.

Here are examples of how to make stand alone mounts for a mesh node. The white pole is an Omni antenna. The enclosure is a plastic sprinkler controller box from a major home improvement chain store.