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AREDN
AREDN represents the next generation of amateur radio data communications. For decades, “data” over amateur radio largely meant AX.25 packet or APRS: brief, relatively infrequent bursts of information, often transmitted at just 1,200 bits per second. D-STAR raised the ceiling with data rates of up to 128 kbps, but only on the 1.2 GHz band and through a single radio model that has since been discontinued.
AREDN changes the scale entirely. By combining WISP-grade Part 15 wireless radios and directional antennas with custom firmware and the expanded operating privileges available under Part 97, AREDN creates a high-speed, self-forming wireless mesh network capable of sustaining data rates measured in megabits per second across substantial distances. Compared with traditional amateur radio data modes, it offers dramatically greater throughput and much lower latency.
Because AREDN uses standard TCP/IP networking, it can support many of the same applications and services found on conventional computer networks. Web servers, e-mail, chat, file sharing, VoIP telephony, video conferencing, live audio and video streams, and large file transfers can all operate directly across the mesh using familiar software and devices.
AREDN is not simply another path to the public Internet. It is an independent amateur radio network designed to carry useful, real-time communications when commercial infrastructure is unavailable or overloaded. In short, AREDN brings true broadband networking to amateur radio.
Connect with other local AREDN enthusiasts on the RVAHams Slack #digital-data channel.
AREDN is not a public network. This service is for licensed amateur radio use only.
In the unlicensed world, 2.4 and 5.8 GHz networking is usually conducted under FCC Part 15 rules. Devices must comply with Part 15 technical limits, may not cause harmful interference, and must accept interference from other authorized users. By contrast, AREDN operates under FCC Part 97, the Amateur Radio Service, which requires a licensed amateur control operator and permits operation within amateur allocations that include portions of the 2.4 and 5.8 GHz spectrum. This gives licensed operators access to additional frequencies and greater technical flexibility than ordinary unlicensed Wi-Fi installations.
That flexibility comes with additional responsibilities. Amateur stations must identify using their assigned call signs, generally at least once every ten minutes and at the end of a communication. Part 97 also prohibits communications for hire, most business-related traffic, broadcasting, and messages encoded for the purpose of concealing their meaning. An AREDN mesh is therefore an amateur radio network -- not a private commercial network or an unrestricted substitute for an Internet service provider.
Part 97 operators are also responsible for proper station control, interference management, and compliance with applicable frequency, emission, and power limits. Although amateur rules may permit substantially more transmitter power than Part 15, operators must still use only the minimum power necessary to complete the desired communication. AREDN may resemble conventional wireless networking and use familiar TCP/IP applications, but every radio link remains subject to the rules and purposes of the Amateur Radio Service.
By the way, AREDN also operates in Part 97 airspace around 900 MHz, but there's so little equipment on the market for 900 MHz AREDN that it's practically not worth mentioning.
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