WRT64G

Why we do not recommend using the Linksys WRT54G Routers for HAM Mesh Networking

In the early days of mesh networking the only hardware that was reliably available and easy to hack that HAMs and other open source programmers could use to experiment with was the Linksys WRT54G line of routers. The Open-WRT group had already developed alternative firmware and the Broadband-Hamnet developers built upon the Open-WRT firmware to make a mesh node firmware for HAMs.

The Linksys provided the basic platform from which to build mesh software but the hardware has several serious limitations.

1.  The hardware was designed as an indoor, commercial box which meant that it was not designed to operate outdoors without building some type of external enclosure.  It also was not designed to operate at power levels outside those mandated for type acceptance for Part 15 devices. Power levels that HAMs could operate at.

2.  The amount of memory that came in the routers was not sufficient for adding a lot of new features that Linksys did not include when the router originally shipped.  And memory could not be added.

3.  The router was designed to operate only in the 2.4 GHz band and only on WiFi channels 1 through 11.  These 20 MHz wide channels overlapped which effectively reduced the number of "non-overlapping channels" to three (1, 6, and 11).  If they are run as Part 97 (Amateur Radio) devices, at Part 97 power levels, they would effectively wipe out 1/3 of the usable WiFi frequencies for quite a large area, not just the three house radius that a Part 15 device would interfere with.

The advantages of the Ubiquiti line of radios are:

1.  They were designed to operate outdoors.

2.  They were designed to be able to operate at higher power levels than a Part 15 router.

3.  They come with more memory than the Linksys WRT54G.

4.  In the 2.4 GHz band they can operate outside the ISM band (WiFi channels 1-11) and go down into the HAM only portion of the 2.4 GHz band.

5.  Radios are available for 3 GHz and 5 GHz as well as the 2.4 GHz band, giving HAMs more frequencies with which to work.

The Linksys WRT54G routers are great for setting up a local mesh and being able to connect up to four services directly to the nodes However, if you already have one or more of the Linksys WRT54G legacy routers and still want to connect to the Orange County Mesh, please follow these guidelines:

1.  Only use the stock antennas that come with the router.

2.  Only use them indoors.

3.  Only use channels 1 through 4 to keep them in the Amateur portion of the 2.4 GHz band.

3. Never attach high gain antennas or amplifiers in order to extend their range outdoors. Yes, part 15 users have to not cause interference and must accept interference but as good Amateur Radio operators we should not cause interference that wipes out 1/3 of the usable channels available to all Part 15 users.

Never use them to connect to the OC Mesh directly using channel 1 through 4 in the 2.4 GHz band.

4.  To connect a local mesh that uses the Linksys WRT54G to the Orange County Mesh, use a 2.4 GHz Ubiquiti radio on channel -2, or use a 3 GHz or 5 GHz Ubiquiti radio to connect to your closest OC Mesh node or hub, and use Device-to-Device Linking (DtDLink) to connect one of your WRT54G's to the node that is going to connect to the OC Mesh.