OpenMANET Wi-Fi HaLow open-source project for Raspberry Pi–based MANET radios

[bcrl]

MANET is one of the protocols I was involved in implementing for a certain network protocol suite back around 2012. Mesh routing protocols only work for the most limited of use cases. They don't know about the capacity of the underlying wireless network and basically fall apart when things are congested or there are radios with poor reception. QoS is implemented far better in modern cell phone networks, and if the routing protocol doesn't take QoS into account, it's gonna suck.

[digdugdirk]

Interesting! If someone with a math background (but not a CS background) wanted to dig deep into learning about mesh networking protocol theory - do you have any recommendations for learning resources or places to get started?

I've long imagined that a content centric mesh network approach would be a better starting point than what we've built up currently, but it seems like such a deep and mysterious subject and I have no idea where to even begin to get started.

[mk_stjames]

Ever since 802.11ah devices started appearing I've thought it would be perfect for partnering inside wireless IP cameras... and hell, make them mesh together with something like this so each one configured on your network extends the range of the others in it's area. Streaming 720P H265 is easily doable at the speeds the networks achieve for a few cameras, and the range would be perfect for perimeter monitoring most properties ala farms & industrial parks.

This device however - an entire Raspberry Pi + hat for a router to do..? ... seems like a solution in search of a problem to solve.

[vetrom]

A medium range trail/offgrid camera is perfect for this application. All the other solutions in the space are sdcard only, or dependent on some variant of LTE/5G.

[EvanAnderson]

In case anybody is like me and didn't know what Wi-Fi HaLow is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11ah

[easygenes]

This guy has been promoting and hacking hardware around this project heavily the last few months: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=550fh2n5rUs

[coreyw]

That guy is not contributing to the open source project.

[hexmiles]

All modules seem to be us-only. Is there a modules usable in eu frequency?

[pantalaimon]

The airtime restrictions make it pretty much useless in the EU

[ge96]

I wonder if you could air drop these at some location, it wouldn't last long but way to deploy the nodes.

[jonathantf2]

I played with HaLow for a while but the only stuff I could get here in the UK was some undocumented crap from AliExpress, anything more robust looking only seems to work in the US. A shame because it’d solve a infrastructure challenge I have to juggle each year

[esafak]

MANETs: back from the dead!? The problem is not the hardware, but the software; apparently, nobody can think of a killer application.

[bb88]

Meshtastic has been popular, but relies upon a terrible implementation of a mesh -- and it's vastly oversold on its capabilities.

I understand some hams run a meshtastic repeater primarily to convince meshtastic users to become hams.

[harporoeder]

The killer application in this case is ATAK.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_Team_Awareness_Kit

[speransky]

I use MorseMicro in 802.11s mode successfully, just openwrt stuff, any reason to try this project ?

[jrexilius]

Last time I played with Moremicro they didn't work with real 802.11s and had some hokey proprietary hierarchal tree topology that required a main basestation gateway. ad-hoc, peer-to-peer was broken. They finally fixed their driver?

[grendelt]

> This technology is especially useful in the civilian space for search and rescue, disaster response, airsoft events, and any disconnected communications scenario.

Airsoft?! Huh?

[kragen]

Radio communication is a critical advantage in actual infantry fights, so it makes sense that it would be useful for cosplay infantry fights.

[topazas]

In Europe still struggle.