The Salt Lake Mesh mailing list (https://groups.io/g/Salt-Lake-Mesh) has been discussing a variety of topics regarding AREDN based networking in the Salt Lake valley. In an effort to aid people's (and especially my own) memory, I'm compiling an organized list of URLs that have been mentioned on the mailing list, and will be keeping that list on this page. If you have links that you think should be added to this list, please reach out via the MARC Contact form.
NOTE: The YouTube links are now real links, and I've moved the table data into TablePress tables. It's a little harder to manage, but it looks a lot better.
General AREDN and Mesh Information
| https://www.arednmesh.org/ | The main web site for AREDN Mesh networking. |
| https://github.com/aredn/aredn | The AREDN firmware software repository. |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2khuccZGek | Video walk through of OLD node user interface. This interface is available in builds up to 3.24.10.0. |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG_2ploIYzg | Video walk through of the NEW node user interface. This interface is used in builds starting with 3.24.10.0. |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loCU6AkGDMg | Video walk through of installing firmware on a MikroTik device. |
| http://docs.arednmesh.org/en/latest/arednNetworkDesign/channel_planning.html | Mesh network planning guide. |
| https://github.com/aredn/aredn?tab=readme-ov-file#developer-only-information | How to set up a local build environment for the AREDN firmware. |
| https://www.arednmesh.org/content/device-device-linking-dtdlink | How DtD and VLANs are used in AREDN, including some sample configurations. |
| https://www.arednmesh.org/content/switch-dtd-independent-remote-control-poe-all-ports | Forum post that talks about switch configurations in complicate node deployments at a given site. |
Mesh Hardware
| http://downloads.arednmesh.org/snapshots/SUPPORTED_DEVICES.md | Supported hardware list. |
| https://docs.arednmesh.org/en/latest/arednGettingStarted/downloading_firmware.html | How to get and download the firmware for your device. Includes a link to the firmware download page. |
| https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019PCF3QY | MikroTik hAP ac lite, this is a desktop box that includes two radios, one on 2.4 GHz and one on 5.8 GHz (only one can be used as a mesh interface, the other will be used as a part 15 hotspot), as well as a five port switch. The first switch port is assigned as a WAN port, the other four can be used for LAN devices or DtD links. Port 5 will also pass through 24V POE to another device. Other versions of the hAP (ac2 and ac3) are also available with more features (ac2 includes a switch where you can assign VLANs to each port as needed, and ac3 adds a USB port which can be used for e.g. a GPS receiver). NOTE that "ax" devices are NOT supported at this time. |
| https://a.co/d/fR2TlCK | This is the hAP ac2. |
| https://a.co/d/gcj9EMR | This is the hAP ac3. |
| https://a.co/d/7iDaUmK | MikroTik SXTsq, this is the small dish that many people are provisioning for their portable kits. |
| https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RRQWCCS | MikroTik LDF 5, 5 GHz device, can be attached to a surplus DirecTV or Dish Network dish with a simple offset mount. |
| https://a.co/d/1iaia9w | Light stand, Rich (N7KRJ) is using these to mount his nodes for portable use. |
| https://a.co/d/8AOZZc2 | SXT mounting bracket. |
| https://a.co/d/8vyG2wG | USB to 5.5mm power plug suitable for powering a Yaelink phone from a 12V to USB adapter (like for a car). |
| https://a.co/d/dCNO8GK | Anderson PowerPole (tm) to 5.5mm power plug, you'll need to make sure you are only supplying 5V power to the PowerPoles yourself. |
| https://a.co/d/4QtnhdA | 5.5mm plug pigtails (qty 10) to make your own cable. |
| https://a.co/d/4POcwoe | Switched, panel mount 12V socket and USB-C and USB-A power ports suitable for inclusion in go-box. |
| https://classifieds.ksl.com/listing/76635025 | KSL ad for the guy in Ephraim who is selling all of the surplus Ubiquiti gear. |
| https://a.co/d/46lt8EO | Texas POE injector, takes 12-60V and puts out 24V passive POE on the output. Uses 5.5mm plug for power input. These were back ordered last time I looked. |
| https://a.co/d/7g06w5b | Alternative 12-36V in to 24V passive POE output, uses screw terminals for power input. |
Applications on the Mesh
| http://docs.arednmesh.org/en/latest/arednServicesGuide/chat_programs.html | List of chat software to run on the mesh. |
| https://github.com/nextcloud/nextcloudpi | NextcloudPi is a distribution of the Nextcloud content collaboration system for SBC (like Raspberry Pi) and VM environments. Kris (KB0STG) is planning on deploying this on the mesh. |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8dULatKgBQ&t=365s | Video on setting up a distributable phone book on a mesh node (not a PBX). |
Useful Software and Web Sites
| https://www.radiofresnel.com/ | Uses Google Earth to plot a line between two points, taking terrain, including buildings and foliage, into account. |
| http://heywhatsthat.com/profiler.html | Another path plotting tool, takes terrain into account but not buildings and foliage. |
| https://github.com/nextcloud/nextcloudpi | SLCo ARES SAFE Neighborhood USB stick contents. |
| https://planetcalc.com/7042/ | Calculates compass bearing between two Lat/Long locations (i.e. GPS references). |
| https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/dms-decimal | Converts Degrees Minutes Seconds (DMS) coordinate to decimal Degrees (D.ddd). |
| https://www.acscdg.com/ | Point and click on a map to get bearing and distance. |
Other Mesh Groups
| https://groups.io/g/cache-mesh | Cache Valley Mesh Group mailing list. |
Supplemental Information
| https://www.murrayarc.org/2020/05/31/monthly-meeting-preparing-for-deployment/ | Dan (N7XDL)'s list of what gear you may want to consider taking with you on a deployment. |
| https://www.flukenetworks.com/knowledge-base/application-or-standards-articles-copper/differences-between-wiring-codes-t568a-vs | Discussion on various Twisted Pair Ethernet wiring standards. We've decided to stick with T-568B. |
| https://www.murrayarc.org/2025/01/09/introduction-to-aredn-aredn-deep-dive-advanced-topics-9-jan-2025/ | MARC AREDN Deep Dive Session 1: Introduction to AREDN |
Glossary of Terms
| site | a location where one or more nodes and other equipment are deployed |
| node | a router device. A node may or may not have a radio and antenna attached to it. Antennas might be internal to the node, directly attached to the node, or attached via a cable or two. Typical examples are the MikroTik BaseBox 5, SXTsq, or hAP. |
| antenna | a stand-alone antenna. This passive device needs to have a node with a radio attached to it to be functional. Antennas have a defined gain and "swath" or width and height of signal path. Typical examples are a dish antenna, yagi, sector, or omni antenna. Sector antennas have a wide signal width of either 90 or 120 degrees, while dishes and yagis are more suited to point-to-point links. Most of the devices we are looking at use MIMO and actually include two separate antennas that are polarized in different directions. |
| radio | a node that includes one or more radios. |
| mesh radio | a radio that is configured for mesh purposes. A given node can only have one mesh radio. Additional radios can be configured as part 15 hotspots. |
| part 15 hotspot | a radio that is configured for normal WiFi networking. |
Meshtastic Notes
While the list has been mainly concentrating on AREDN style mesh networks, there is also interest in Meshtastic. I'll include some links here that have been sent on the list. I don't know much about this myself, so if you have more information to put here, let me know.
| http://www.nemarc.org/mesh.html | Maryland Meshtastic group. |
| https://affirmatech.com/meshsense | Mesh Sense software. |