Hi LeRoy, Several of us in this part of Ontario are using WRT54G-RG routers on HSMM-Mesh which apparently are the same as the WRT54G-TM except they were made for Rogers in Canada. The link to the upgrade procedure to take the RG type router from Rogers firmware to HSMM-MESH firmware can be found at http://ve3rrd-shack.dyndns.org/Files/WRT54G-RG upgrade instructions.pdf We are loading the "hsmm-mesh-0.4.3-wrt54g.bin" firmware which does utilize the 32 MB of memory installed in these routers. 73

I have a WRT54G-TM (TM for T-Mobile) currently it's running DD-WRT and from the website it says the hardware is the same as the WRT54G-RS, the question is has anyone tried a TM on the mesh network?

The other thing I have is a WAP54G (access point) I have a few of these, I know they can run DD-WRT even thou I've never tried to do this myself, I also know there is more to setting them up after you get the firmware installed since they were meant to be access points and not routers, pretty much have the same question thou, has anyone tried to make one of these work on the mesh? My thoughts were if someone was good enough at programming they could make a firmware that would turn these into access points if you wanted to use a wifi connection and not a hardwired connection.  I don't know how are that would be really, but it was  a thought, and might give some other hardware a chance to be saved.

-LeRoy, KD8BXP

Hi,

I have HSMM-MESH running on a Raspberry PI. I based the system on the standard Raspbian linux distribution rather than OpenWRT, partly because OpenWRT support of the PI seemed pretty undeveloped, and partly to enable the same approach to be applied to other platforms.

The system self-configures in the same way as the standard WRT54G installation.

I have two PIs linked to a WRT54GS, but as I don't have any nearby Mesh nodes I can't test very thoroughly. If anyone is interested in helping me test, or even just trying the system for themselves, please contact me - john.wiseman(at)cantab.net

Thanks,

John G8BPQ

I've found the last 4 or 5 WRT54G (S) (L) routers at thift stores, anywhere from 2 bucks to 7 bucks - 1 was bricked (easy fix), and 2 were not on the list of compatitable routers, but at the prices it didn't really matter, and they can still run DD-WRT.  The last two I found where in boxes not that even matters :-)  Just one more place to look.

Please don't.  You are wasting your time and will only make things worse. 

If you ask the FCC, the answer will be "No," because they're bureaucrats, they only care about the people with big bucks or political connections, and the easy, safe, answer is "No." 

Unless they go through the official, bureaucratic, rulemaking process, any positive FCC response will mean nothing.

If they go through rulemaking, the answer will be convoluted and not what you want, even if it's not entirely negative.

They're not going to give blanket approval to encryption, and they're not going to go to the trouble to decide that "mumble" encryption is a special case because then they'd have to decide a thousand other special cases.

If anything, they'll completely misunderstand the question, and do something stupid like rule against any form of digital communication using 802.11 on ham radio.

Don't forget, this is the government you're dealing with.  Imagine what is going to happen to any questions you ask.  It's going to handled by someone who is a typical government employee.  Imagine the typical person behind the counter at your local driver's license office.

The person might have some idea about ham radio, but he's probably not even a ham.  He probably doesn't understand computers or he'd have a real job.  He's probably not really familiar about what encryption means, he just knows it's bad.  He doesn't know what "mumble" is.  He doesn't understand key exchange, etc.

Imagine Emma Ray at the local DMV going through the following thought process:

"Let's consider my options:

1) Say "No, that's encryption and it's forbidden." 

Mark off another item off my todo list. 

Go eat another donut. 

2) Figure out what "mumble" is. 

Take time to understand how keys are exchanged in mumble.

Think about the concepts involved.  Is the encryption intended to obscure meaning?  If it isn't, why is it encrypted?  Why does the author say "Stay private and secure - always encrypted communication" if it's not intended to obscure meaning?

Check with my superiors.  Explain it to them. 

Write up some documentation about how to use mumble and stay within the rules despite the "encryption" involved.

Document for FCC field agents how to recognize a mumble data stream and get around the encryption.

Go through the notice for proposed rulemaking  process to document the answer.

Prepare to go through the same analysis for the next 200 different obscure computer programs that I'll get asked about." 

What do you think the answer is going to be?

As for running a mumble server on your own home network, just don't use amps or high gain antennas and work under part 15.  We're only under ham rules if we go outside the normal 802.11 effective radiated power and frequency limits.

Just don't mesh in with any other hams who might be doing their own high ERP links. 

If you read through a variety of the comments posted to the FCC, you will see this is a hot issue, and unfortunately is not an easy answer.

The actual proposed ruling change deals STRICTLY with emergency situations and training for such. Unfortunately, most of the 80m ragchewers and DX-chasers who probably still use paper logs didnt get that fact and posted their blab accordingly.

It is my hope that the FCC will recognize those facts and rule accordingly.

Ive said it in private conversation, but Ill state my prediction here:

Look at the recent past, where the ARRL "leadership" commented/filed AGAINST a possible FCC rule change/waiver/etc (Recon Robotics, BPL, etc); The FCC almost ALWAYS went the opposite way. So it is my prediction that this proposed change will go through! :-)

Now, of course, Im a die hard Steeler fan, and every time I think they will win, well..... lol

KTF

Thanks Jim!

I'm going to give the guy over at ARRL a shot first. Then I'll jump in to what I fear would be the nightmare of getting an answer from the FCC :)

I followed the directions and flashed two WRT45's. All went OK and I set them aside until I obtained a gain antenna to place a node in the attic with gain antenna aimed out the attic window. When I had the antenna set up I found that the password I wrote down did not work.  I tried upper/lowercase combos and as it had a number and the number shifted. All did not work.  Has anyone got a way to recover the passwords and/or the WRT45's?