Mercado Apartments - Nodes 3-4 Installation Report

Today volunteers from SoCalFreeNet got together and installed two new nodes at the Mercado Apartment complex. It was also a great training day, with three volunteers lending a hand for the first time. Many thanks to Ben, David, Doug, Drew, Jason, Marc and Pascal for providing their valuable time and expertise!

These two nodes are also a change for us. We had originally planned to simply repeat our node 1 and node 2 installations, but with new equipment coming onto the market all the time, and new software updates becoming available, we decided to try something new. Plus, we like experimenting! Go directly to the photos, or keep reading.

The result so far is very promising. Instead of spending an hour or more configuring pebble via ssh, and then repeating the installation for the second radio, we used the latest release of M0n0wall which now supports Atheros based radios, and hence the 802.11a component of our relay. Initial configuration took about 15 minutes and the second node took less than 5 as we could simply copy the single config file from one node to the other and adjust a couple of settings (wan static IP, WLAN subnet and DHCP range).

We're also using new hardware. WRAP boards have been around for a while, but we've used Soekris more often because of better availability and familiarity. However they are gaining increasing popularity with WISPs and we also obtained one and wrote about it in our recent book, so we were eager to try one. We've recently used Metrix kits instead of building our boxes because they're more convenient, well packaged and well priced. However the arrival of WRAP outdoor cases by Mini-box (see also our recent review) presents an alternative attractive solution. The bundle by Netgate is a convenient way to purchase this, except for the RP-N pigtails and 5 dBi antennas which we didn't use.

The topology of our network is a central 802.11a access point that is connected to the internet. From there we have several 'relay nodes' which receive the 802.11a signal and then supply internet via an 802.11b AP. The buildings at this particular site have walls that kill the 2.4GHz signal very quickly, so we need to have multiple access points even though the actual site size is relatively small. Click the map at right to see the node locations more clearly.

Each node runs in its own subnet and provides DHCP and DNS caching for local 802.11b clients. NAT (aka masq) is not done at the node location, but rather at the central gateway. Avoiding NAT at the node level will allow possibly future applications within the site, plus it allows the main gateway router to provide captive portal services for the entire network and generally centralizes management tasks. Read the network configuration for specifics.

The installation went smoothly. We started the day by reviewing and explaining the equipment in use and then stepping through the m0n0wall configuration we had used. All the equipment had been pre-assembled, mounted on the mast and tested first off-site and then onsite to help ensure that the day would go well.

Next we unpacked tools and lugged the gear over to the proposed location for node 3. Choosing the actual rooftop is a tradeoff between potential future growth of foilage, ease of access to the ground level utility cabinets where the power is and the coverage goals. And, to keep things interesting, it often isn't apparent until you actually get onto the rooftop whether or not a location will be suitable. E.g. for the second installation (node 4) we chose a rooftop from the ground, but then had to switch to an adjacent roof when we discovered intervening palm trees.

At this point we split into ground and rooftop teams. The roof team further split. Marc and Jason concentrated on mounting the radio. Pascal measured, cut and threaded the cat-5 cable and ground wire into conduit and fed it to ground level via the drainpipe.

The ground team took the drop from the drainpipe and routed it around to the utility closet using the flashing at the bottom of the buidling wall which had conveniently located holes for zip ties. The cat-5 cable went inside the utility cabinet to pick up the PoE power and the ground wire continued in the dirt to around to the large water pipe disappearing into the ground.

Click to view the photos below and the associated text with more information.

Equipment Costs

We haven't completed tallying up yet, but the approximate per node cost is $650. This breaks down as:

Overall, a pretty reasonable price. Just a year ago, this same functionalit cost almost $1000. And quite likely it will be closer to $600 before too long.

Mercado Network Current Status

Here is the current status of the Mercado network.

Node #3 and #4 installation, Friday March 3rd, 2005

Background

On Friday, March 3rd starting at 10am, we will be installing the 3rd and 4th nodes at the Mercado Apartments (directions) in Barrio Logan. On previous project days, we have installed an 802.11a AP on the rooftop of the manager's office and also an 802.11a bridge/802.11b AP on the farthest building.

For more details on previous installs, see: main AP, node 1 and node 2 installation reports.

Project Objectives

The function of Node #3 and Node #4 will be to extend the wireless cloud inside the Mercado apartment complex. The addition of these two nodes should largely complete the installation. Further testing will follow to determine if another node is required.

Technical Solution

We'll be adding nodes 3 and 4 as described in the network configuration.

We will install Netgate WRAP based hardware. This device uses an Atheros a/b/g radio which we will use (in 802.11a mode) for the backhaul, as well as an 802.11b Intersil Prism 2.5 radio which we will use for client access.

For software, we will be using the latest M0n0wall release, beta version (1.2b6) which now supports the Atheros chipset. This will be our first attempt to use M0n0wall in a relay/bridge mode and we are very excited about its potential use in this capacity for future deployments.

Install Plan

We have 2 nodes to install, therefore we will need two teams to perform identical tasks. First, we will be attaching all of the devices to the antenna mast and mounting the mast to the rooftop. Next, we will run cat5 down the side of the building to a PoE injector located in the utility closet. Next, we will install a lightning arrestor and run grounding cable. If we cannot find a suitable grounding point, then we will install a grounding rod. Finally, we will perform QA/Safety/Regulatory Compliance checklists to ensure a proper deployment.

Day of Install Tasks:

Volunteer 1 (Team 1: Michael, Team 2: ?)
- Prepare mast assembly (attach antenna / lightning arrestor / waterproof putty)
- Install mast and secure to building with mounting bracket

Volunteer 2 (Team 1: ?, Team 2: ?)
- Run grounding wire, find (or build) appropriate grounding point
- Run Cat5 along roofline
- Crimp Cat5 heads (terminate cables w/RJ45 jacks)

Volunteer 3 (One Volunteer for both Teams: ?)
- Perform QA / Safety checks, complete checklist

Folks who've volunteered so far: Neven, Eric, Jason, Doug (EC: see private pages for full contact info)

Budget:
- Insert costs here

Pilot Installation at Barrio Logan Mercado site

Today some SoCalFreeNet volunteers went to the Mercado site in Barrio Logan. We've been there several times before at the request of the MAAC project to explore providing free wireless internet access to their residents and the surrounding community.

Today, our goal was to get some actual real-world equipment onto a rooftop, and ideally leave with one building online. We planned to do this by:

1. Put an 802.11b AP on a rooftop and measure coverage as much as possible without actually getting inside (unless a resident happened to be around to let us in).
2. Determine if an 802.11a backhaul link would work, despite not quite line of sight due to some and intervening trees. For this, we picked the furthestmost rooftop.
3. Try to hook the link and AP into the existing DSL connection in the main office so people could start using it.

We managed to achieve our first goal, despite a few obstacles along the way (e.g. it initially looked like we wouldn't be able to get power to the rooftop). And, best of all, we discovered that, unlike easlier site surveys, it seems that we might be able to cover four buildings per AP, instead of the 1-2 buildings we'd estimated. We'll know for sure after we've had a chance to get inside and/or get some residents online.

We're going to go back tomorrow to finish goals 2 and 3. We did make good progress on 3, as it appears we can pull the signal off an existing 802.11b wireless AP in the office using one of our standard client kits.

M0n0wall installation at Mercado Wireless Network

We have a multi-node wireless network installed in a 144 apartment complex with 24 buildings. The one router that binds and rules them all is currently running m0n0wall. This article describes the configuration of the network as a whole and m0n0wall specficially. There were a number of gotchas involved in setting this up, so I lay them out here here in the hope it will save others some time.

Each node in the network resides in its own /27 subnet (full addresss details) and has its own dhcp server and DNS cache. All nodes route to one master node in a classic "star" point to multi-point configuration.

The master node in turn connects to the gateway node which is connected to a DSL modem using PPPoE for its connection. The gateway node also provides DHCP and NAT services to local office computers and a computer lab.

M0n0wall Gateway router Configuration

The gateway router has to provide the following services:

• PPPoE connection management
• local office subnet DHCP, NAT and firewall
• wireless network NAT, captive portal and firewall
• firewall between the office and wireless networks
• wireless link to master node

In addition the following features are nice to have:

• secure outside administration
• offsite syslog reporting
• remote IPSEC / PPTP access
• Dynamic DNS updating so we could admin the router using a web address

M0n0wall provides the capabilities to do all this (and more).

to be continued - a work in progress

Golden Hill Site Survey 26th/Broadway and Install Day

Today (2/14/04) the SDWUG/SoCal FreeNet crew met up at Influx in Golden Hill for our monthly install day where Golden Hill residents are welcome to come to Influx and ask questions and get advice and even have members come to their houses to help them get online.

Today was interesting, as we also had a scheduled site survey for possible expansion of the Golden Hill network to the rooftop of a house at the intersection of 26th and Broadway. Myself, Drew, and Steven broke from the influx group to scope out the situation. Structurally, the house is just begging to have some antenna masts, LMR, and CAT-5 run all over the place! There is even a small, unused room at the back of the house that could house some gear, and an attic/crawl space to run CAT-5. The roof has several places that would make great mounting positions for a varitey of antennas. The owner (Jay) has already given us an indication that he would be willing to put a tall mast and a parabolic grid antenna as well as an omni on the roof. (click "read more" for the rest of the story)

We didn't get as much time as we would have liked, as the rain started coming down about 15 min after we got there, but we had enough time to set up a tripod with a 16 dBi yagi. Drew braved the steep roof pitch and set up the tripod and we ran a length of LMR400 down to my laptop. Long story short, it looks like this expansion is very possible!

Golden HIll, San Diego

The very first location for SocalFreeNet was in Golden Hill, San Diego. In fact the success and fun of that project, inspired the creation of SocalFreeNet! We currently have six locations there.

You can find some history at the GoldenHillFreeWeb website (not currently maintained):

www.goldenhillfreeweb.org

Background

Background

El Toyon is a rec center operated by the city of National City. It serves low income neighborhoods with diverse populations. In addition to being a community meeting and focal point, the rec center also offers after school programs attended by 50-60 children on a daily basis. Activities include board games, organized sports and ceramics classes.

The facility itself was build in 1962 and appears to contain pourous and very RF friendly building materials. During our site survey, only 2 APs were discovered (SSID = natwireless, channel 6, WEP on).

The rec center facility itself is a series of medium sized "conference rooms", attached to each other to form a U shape. All building are single story with angled pitch rooflines. A telephone jack exists in the administration office (adjacent to the ceramics room).

Funding Source

The source of funding for this project is a donation from a generous and civic minded local resident who lives 5 blocks away from the rec center. The project sponsor has offered to pay for all hardware expenses in addition to the monthly ISP fees.

Address

The location is El Toyon Rec Center:
2005 E. 4th Street
National City

Project Objectives

Objectives:

• Wireless Coverage
• Computer Lab
• Educational Opportunities for Volunteers

Wireless Coverage Objectives:

• No specific performance parameters have been defined or established. Our goal is to create an 802.11b point of presence with the maximum coverage possible to the surrounding neighborhood.

Computer Lab Objectives:

• We have secured a donation of 10 PCs to be installed in the ceramics room. Our goal is to create a 10 station computer lab with full Internet access.

Educational Objectives:

• We plan to have a 1/2 hour lesson on setting up M0n0wall on the install day, 1/2 hour before we start building the network.
• The hardware installation will be a great learning experience, teaching everything from antenna grounding and waterproofing techniques, to cat-5 cable making and testing.

Technical Solution

We propose deploying a Soekris Net4511 to provide wireless coverage to the surrounding neighborhood. This device would run the M0n0wall FreeBSD based operating system. The advantage of the net4501 is that it supports a PCMCIA card (allowing us to install a 200mw Senao radio) in addition to a mini-PCI slot, which we could leave unoccupied and available for future 802.11a expansion. Unlike the Netgate G8 WRAP-based alternatives, the Soekris net4511 contains 2 ethernet ports.

We intend to assign one port for the WAN. We have selected DSL Extreme as the ISP, as they allow sharing in their ToS. The other port will be configured as a LAN port (in a segment protected and firewalled from the WLAN segment). The LAN port of the Soekris device will be connected to a 24-port switch, which will then be connected to the lab PCs.

M0n0wall offers standard functionality we intend to enable, including captive portal, bandwidth shaping, SNMP monitoring and more.

Install Plan

Wireless Install:

Network configuration: El Toyon network IP layout and m0n0wall config

Cabling: We will install 2 cables- one from the DSL modem to the Soekris, the other from the lab switch to the Soekris.

Given that the RJ11 telephone jack terminates in the manager's office, we will place the DSL modem adjacent to the telephone jack. Near the DSL modem, we will drill a hold to penetrate to the outside wall (on the side connected to the interior of the courtyard). In addition, we will drill a hole between the manager's room and the ceramics room, which share a common wall.

One Cat5 cable will be fed from the switch in the ceramics room, through the hole to the manager's office, then through the hole to the courtyard, elevated to the roofline and laid out along the edge of the eve along the length of the building to the location of the Soekris mounted in the outdoor box (LAN port).

The second cable (running alongside the 1st cable) will run from the DSL modem to the WAN port of the Soekris and be injected with power at the DSL modem side in the manager's office.

The Soekris will be mounted on one of the primary roof beams of the southwestern most building, as close as possible to the telescoping mast. (This appears to be the highest point). The mast (appx. 25-30 feet tall) will extend from the ground to the roof line, where it will be attached to a supporting beam using a metal bracket. The mast will extend above the roofline by 5-8 feet (as permissible by safety considerations). The omni antenna will be attached to the top of the pole using a hose-clamp or other secure mechanism.
The lightning arrestor will be grounded using grounding wire attached to an 8 foot metal grounding rod, or adjacent grounding point as determined to be safe, effective and building code compliant by Marc Palumbo, QA/Safety/Regulatory Compliance Manager.

Computer Lab Install:

- 10 PCs with monitors, mice & keyboards will be assembled in the ceramics room, across folding tables along the length of the wall, opposite the door. All PCs will be connected via custom length Cat5 cables to the switch.

Day of Install Tasks -- March 19th, 2005

Project Manager: Lee

Volunteer 1 (Lee)
- Install & test DSL modem using laptop
- Install M0n0wall and test config prior to install day
- Verify M0n0wall configuration on install day
- Assist others

Volunteer 2 (Drew &Marc)
- Prepare mast assembly (attach antenna / lightning arrestor / waterproof putty)
- Prepare bracket for roof truss and antenna mount.
- Drive 8 foot ground rod for antenna base support and ground.
- Install mast and secure to building with mounting bracket
- Mount Soekris / outdoor enclosure to beam / under roof
- Run grounding wire, find (or build) appropriate grounding point

Volunteer 3 (Marc & Mick Laver)
- Run Cat5 along roofline
- Crimp Cat5 heads (terminate cables w/RJ45 jacks)
- Build custom length cables for lab
- Perform QA / Safety checks, complete checklist

Volunteer 4 (Mick Laver)
- Drill Holes in wall - manager's office to lab, manager's office to courtyard

Volunteer 5 (?)
- Perform QA/Safety/Regulatory Compliance testing and complete checklist

Volunteer 6 & 7 & 8 (Wayne & Bao Nguyen & ?)
- Physically set up PCs
- Determine Ethernet cable length requirements
- Attach cables for keyboard, mouse, video, Ethernet
- Configure & verify networking

Volunteer 9 (?)
- Walk around the neighborhood and determine wireless coverage area

Schedule
9:30AM - 10AM Educational session on how to set up and configure M0n0wall
10AM - Begin Install

Budget

Proposed Equipment Budget and Status

Most prices reflect tax and shipping. "Need to order" prices may not.

El Toyon Install Day Report

The El Toyon Rec Center was an extremely successful install day!

We all met at 9:30AM and proceeded through a M0n0wall installation lesson. We reviewed every detail of how to install M0n0wall and repeated all the steps to configure M0n0wall as performed for the El Toyon installation.

After the M0n0wall lesson, we walked through the procedures to be performed during that day's activities. We immediately noticed an issue with the Manager's office- the telephone line was on a wall that had no available AC power. (The closest power outlet was on the other side of the room). As a result of this discovery, we modified the plans slightly. We drilled a hole between the Manager's office and the lab room (formerly the Ceramics room), and ran the RJ11 cable between the two rooms and mounted the DSL modem inside the lab. This change had the added advantage of not requiring physical access to the manager's office for future troubleshooting.

Volunteers then set up the physical PCs on the desks along the wall. They were oriented such that the monitors were facing the main entry door and a computer user would have their back to the main door. In this arrangement, the computer users could always be monitored. After a few minutes, we discovered that the tables could not support the weight of the computers (they were bowing in the middle), therefore we replaced the tables with stronger tables. Custom length Cat5 cables were made between each PC and the switch. Several members had the opportunity to learn how to make Cat5 cables.

Next, two long lengths of Cat5 cable were run. One cable ran between the Soekris board and the switch ("LAN"). The other cable ran between the Soekris board and the DSL modem ("WAN"). Great care was taken by SoCalFreeNet members to tack the cable to the ceiling and roof eve very carefully and in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

To mount the antenna mast, a sheet of hardened aluminum was cut to size. The reason for adding the aluminum brace was to provide a mounting surface for the antenna mast (pole) that extended more then 3 inches away from the roof (per Marc, this is a requirement to be compliant with building codes). The antenna was then mounted to the pole. Also, the Outdoor box was mounted to the side of a beam. This was a clever solution which provided protection from the elements. In order for the mount to work, we needed to remove the Soekris board from the case, mount the case to the beam, then reinstall the Soekris board into the case. This was an extra step, but resulted in a more solid and secure installation.

The mast was then hammered from above to drive it a few feet into the ground. An additional 8 foot grounding rod was installed next to the mast. The lightning arrestor was installed and connected to the pole, which was, in turn connected to the grounding rod at its base.

We powered everything up, and amazingly (on the first try) it all operated perfectly. The surrounding neighborhood is now covered by free wireless Internet access. We will be working with SoCalFreeNet member and project sponsor Wayne in order establish a regular "Help the Neighbors Get Online" day.

The most amazing part of this installation was the enormous volunteer response that we received. Around a dozen SoCalFreeNet members showed up on their Saturday to make this deployment a great success!! Thank you again to all who volunteered!!!

Golden Villas Installation Planning

Note: This document was a 'living' document during the planning phase, and as such was never quite up to date. And so far it has not been updated to reflect the final outcome on the installation day. However we're leaving it here in this state to serve as a guide for the next install and/or interested readers. Please don't mistake it as "The whole truth and nothing but the truth.".

This document is a central planning document for the Golden Villa installation day. The address is
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=3385%20Elm%20St%2C%20san%20diego%2C%20ca and the start time is 10am.

The installation has four parts:

1. Installing the main wireless node above the office
2. Installing the repeater wireless node
3. Installing and configuring the common room computer lab
4. Helping residents get online

Below are the details for each part of the installation.

Main Wireless AP and Office Router

Requirements

The main AP will be located on the peak of the roof which contains the office. The AP will be mounted directly on the wall and the antenna will be in a short pole screwed directly onto the roof peak. A supplied Cat-5 cable will run down the roof and through a new hole into the office where it will be connected to a router which will split the cable internet between the office network and wireless network.

The network configuration is detailed here and there is a separate step by step covering the m0n0wall configuration and Netgate HS3000 AP configuration.

Challenges

• The 50ft pre-made cable supplied with the AP might be too short to go all the way from the rooftop to the office, and it has a proprietary plug on one end. We may have to join the cable outside.
• The AP has a mounting plate that we should be able to mount directly to the wood face board, but if not, we may need to mount all the equipment on the pole.

Equipment List

The following equipment has been purchased for the installation:

Netgate HS3000 which includes a 50 ft outdoor cat-5 cable
SuperPass 8dBi 10 degree downtilt omni
Hyperlinktech Lightning Protector
Soekris 4501 in case with m0n0wall

Still to be Done

Purchase a drill bit to put the cable through the office wall
Purchase sealant to fill the hole after we put the cable through
Solve the problem of extending the ethernet cable if necessary.
Configure the MikroTik
Configure the AP

General Comments

Wireless Repeater

Requirements

The second wireless AP will be mounted at the other end of the complex. It will operate in repeater mode.

Challenges

• The 50ft pre-made cable supplied with the AP might be too short to go all the way from the rooftop to the office, and it has a proprietary plug on one end. We may have to join the cable outside.

Equipment List

The following equipment has been purchased for the installation:

Still to be Done

General Comments

Computer Lab Installation

Requirements

We will receive 6 computers running fresh installations of either Win2k or WinXP, complete with keyboard, mouse and monitors. They need to be hooked together into a switch with a D-Link kit which will get the signal from the main AP.

Equipment List

The following equipment has been purchased for the installation:

D-Link Bridge Kit to hook up the lab to the network
Cat-5 cables

Still to be Done

Need an 8 port hub
Need a few power strips
Pick up the donated computers

General Comments

Resident Installation

Requirements

Challenges

Equipment List

The following equipment has been purchased for the installation:

Eight D-Link Kits - already programmed for socalfreenet.org (thanks John Kim!)

Still to be Done

General Comments

Home Depot Shopping List

Ground lug
"U" clamps and matching wood screww
Radiator clamps

Golden Villas Site Survey Report (South Park)

Drew, Seren, Jason and Michael did a site survey today at Golden Villa affordable housing apartments. Here's the report.

Results Summary

Two access points mounted at each end of the L shaped layout should be sufficient to provide adequate coverage throughout the complex. The buildings are 2 story with 4 units per building and attenuate the signal markedly. However the proposed AP layout allows most units in the buildings to receive a direct signal.

For equipment, we could either go our usual route and have a main AP with both 802.11a and 802.11b radios and a second AP relaying from there. Total cost approx $1300.

Alternatively, we could use a WDS-based solution either based on an inside AP-160 and two Sputnik AP 200 or the Netgate HS3000 (both about $900).

In addition, in the main office we'd either place an embedded PC running m0n0wall or a Sputnik 160 is possible if we go the WDS route.

In short, we could build a system for all 44 occupants and the computer lab for $1000 - $1500.

We saw 4-5 APs during out site survey - much fewer than normal.

Layout Details

The buildings form a rough L shape, with the office located on the leg of the L but towards the corner. It is wrapped around a road on the inside of the L with a gorge on the outside all around. Single dwelling houses are on the opposite side of the road.

The office has an existing Cox business cable connection and is the rooftop we used to place the test equipment (there are also 4 apartments in the building). The test AP was a 200mW Senao CB3 plus, http://www.wlanparts.com/product/NL2611CB3PLUS, with an 8.5 dBi 10 degree downtilt antenna, http://www.superpass.com/SPDG6O-D10.html. Right opposite the office is a community building where they plan to create a small computer lab.

Testing details

With three laptops containing various combinations of built-in (Centrino) and external cards (30mW Atheros-based Netgear and 50mw? D-Link non-prism) we walked around all the buildings while running a continuous 1500 byte ping to the AP. When the pings started dropping we marked that as the edge of useful range.

Using this criteria, we determined that over half the buildings could be covered with one AP. Two remaining buildings had incomplete coverage. Some of those apartments could get good coverage from their front windows, but not beyond. Assuming the same propagation, we concluded that another AP mounted on the last roof of the tip of the L, but closer to the L corner would provide the whole complex with good coverage. The houses across the road on the inside of the L would also get good coverage, and likely the houses across the gorge (though there weren't many, and the downtilt makes it less likely).

Mounting details

None of the rooftops are flat. We decided that mounting a standard L shaped bracket like that used for satellite dishes on the end of the building at the peak of the roof would be simple and effective and allow the antenna to rise about 1 foot above the roofline. We could route outdoor Cat-5 cable to the roof via the water downpipes which are open at the bottom and then up to the box following side roof trim panels. A tall ladder will be needed for the installation day.

At the office location we will need to drill through the office walls like cable TV installers do. Inside will be power and the internet feed.

At the other building location the power box has a double outlet underneath the main meter box (5 meters - 4 units plus 'house'). We would need to add a water-resistant housing for the PoE. A simple 4x4x4 electrical box would suffice and could be mounted directly on the wall (perhaps even surrounding the double outlet box?).

Dirt surrounds all buildings so driving a grounding rod for lightning protection should be straight forward.

Pricing details

Standard relay:

$ 40      - 2 x LMR-400 N-male N-male cables
$ 20      - lightning arrestor
$ 45      - PoE
$ 65      - downtilt 8.5 dBi omni
$ 50      - 802.11a 'backfire' antenna
$ 14      - U.FL pigtail
$ 70      - 802.11a radio
$320      - Metrix kit (with 200mW 802.11b radio)
$ 20      - misc fittings (copper, cat-5, hose clamps)
------
~$650 each radio

Sputnik based:

$ 20      - 1 x LMR-400 N-male N-male cables
$ 20      - lightning arrestor
$ 45      - PoE
$ 65      - downtilt 8.5 dBi omni
$290      - www.sputnik.com/products/aps/ap200.html
$ 20      - misc futtings
-----
~$460      - includes tax on sputnik

Netgate HS3000 based:

$ 20      - lightning arrestor
$ 65      - downtilt 8.5 dBi omni
$355      - www.netgate.com/product_info.php?products_id=41
----
~$440     - 250mW HS3000 comes with lots of odds/ends

Base Station Options

Sputnik 160 (WDS only)
~$110 - with tax and ship

M0n0wall based Nokia IP110

$100  - Nokia IP110 from Ebay ???
$ 20  - HD to CF adapter (mini-box)
----
$130  - with ship - very approx!

M0n0wall based Soekris:

$161  - net4501 with case
$  9  - power supply
$  10 - CF card
----
~$190 - includes tax

This started out being short but ended up pretty complete. Please ask any questions about anything that isn't clear.

If we can get the go ahead fairly quickly, we could schedule this installation quite soon. This will be a very worthwhile addition to this community as well as a great wireless learning experience for everyone, so I hope to see a few new faces on install day :-) .

Golden Villas Wireless Internet Installation Report

Our intrepid band of volunteers really pulled through today with the most complex single-day install we've ever accomplished!

For starters, there was the common room that become a computer lab. Then there was the dual node installation of a main AP and a second rooftop repeater AP. These were all driven by a newly installed router, firewall and captive portal box (a soekris box running m0n0wall). Many, many thanks to all of you, both the regulars and the newcomers. With one less person, it would have been hard to finish in one day.

Things that went well

We've learnt a lot in the past year and are applying it more consistently. In particular, we've found that the more work we can do before getting onsite, the smoother the day will go. This allows more time to cope with the unexpected.

Some specific things we've learnt previously and applied well this time:

• a solid site survey with the intended installation equipment, including antennas. This meant we didn't have to do any testing or relocation of gear on the day.
• timely purchase and assembly of all the equipment -- physically assembling all the gear beforehand eliminates surprises like: missing small but critical components (zip ties, sealant goop) and catches problems like incompatible mounting hardware (though see below)
  
• network planning -- we designed and fully documented the network layout, including all equipment interface IP assignment, subnets etc. We've always done the design before, but never documented it so well (still room to improve)
• preconfigure settings and end-to-end test, and document it -- this was probably the first hard learnt lesson and we've taken it to heart, though this was the first time we'd documented it. Each piece of gear was configured according to the network plan and documented as we went (gateway router, HS3000 AP). Then, and this is the crucial step, it was all hooked together and connected to a live internet feed. However even this wasn't a perfect test, see below.
  
• project planning -- Also for the first time we put together a planning document. This was the largest install by far that we've ever attempted in one day. We usually do one node, period. This was two nodes and a lab. So we decided to split out the tasks and divvy up responsibilities ahead of time. This allowed some of the work to be frontloaded before the day and also allowed tasks to proceed in parallel on the day. We have more work to do on this approach, but it was a promising start.
• start early -- 10am was on the early side for an install day, but with the ambitious schedule we planned, it was a good move.
  
• standard gear -- for a while we've tried to find a standard set of gear and stick to it. This simplifies ordering and stocking (e.g. we always use 48" LMR 400 N-male to N-male cables and hence N-connectors on all radios). Although we used new radios this time and a new relay approach (WDS), the rest of the install followed a familiar pattern: SBC m0n0wall based gateway/router, PoE powered rooftop gear, lightning protector and 8 gauge copper ground to a solid ground rod or equivalent, our usual Superpass omni downtilt antenna and small stuff like UV-rated zip ties, hose clamps for mounting, duct goop for waterproofing etc.
• volunteers rule -- Last but not least, our many skilled volunteers made the day the great success it was. Given how we're structured and our educational emphasis, we often don't know until the day exactly who will turn up apart from the core team. However it never fails (so far!) that everyone who does show up brings some vital piece of gear or some special skill that makes a unique contribution to the day.

Many, many thanks to the volunteers who showed up on the day and who provided critical support beforehand, including: Seren, Drew, Jason, Michael, Dave, Dlan, Stewart, Marc, Joe, Ben, Matt and Mike S. Not to forget our president Lee, who also wrote a wonderful thank you. All your contributions were vital.

Things we learnt

Although all's well that ended well, there were some 'learning opportunities' during the day. The reason for mentioning them here is not to dwell on them, but rather to make note so we can avoid these problems in the future if possible.

• always put all the gear together before getting on site - in this case the 1" mounting poles didn't fit securely in the 1" mounting brackets leading to a last minute scramble to find an appropriate mounting solution. Fortunately we've learnt this lesson already with the electronics, and all of that worked great, with no onsite configuration necessary.
  
• Double check the configuration as applied - for the first time we completely documened the planned network IP layout, but the gateway WLAN IP was erroneously set to the base network address of 10.12.11.128 instead of the first IP value of 10.12.11.129. Strangely, this worked during testing and also for the laptops we tried which were running WinXP, but not for the lab computers rnning Win2k. (The symptom was DNS not working).
• Plan on making an extra trip to Home Depot - the best laid plans oft go awry. Ideally a trip offsite to get odds and ends won't be necessary, but better to plan for one anyway and then be thankful if you don't need to go.

Equipment Used

a work in progress - the final tally is still being worked out

Miramar

Miramar Site Survey - possible new location

On Saturday, we did a site survey at a new location, the Hourglass Park Apartments at 9505 Gold Coast Drive, San Diego 92126.

The highlights of the survey are:

• Great signal propagation through the buildings. We were able to receive signals clear through the otherside of a complete building of units. This dramatically lowers the cost of deployment.
• Good roof access. The rooftops are flat and safe to work on. The only thing needed is a 24 ft ladder.
• Easy access to power. Existing open 'drainpipe' conduits are available to run Cat-5 cable from power in the utility closet on each building.
• Good community benefit. Apart from the benefits to the existing residents, nearby facing apartments will get good coverage too. Most fun, however, is the excellent coverage at the playground down the street. (Though not sitting in the bus stop shelter due to the metal grill wall - -65dBi outside the shelter, -85dBi inside, 6 inches away!)
• Bandwidth is readily available. As we discovered, both Time Warner cable internet and DSL are available and, judging by the 20 or so APs we found, many tenants already using broadband. This will save them $25-50 month when installed.
• There's almost 20 APs already in the complex. Fortunately most of them are on channel 6, with just a few on channel 1 or 11. For those interested in such things, about 1/2 had WEP enabled (including 3 2Wire APs) and, unusually, most did not have the default SSID. Perhaps there's a local geek tenant who helps with such things? We should be so lucky!

Our tentative solution is to mount four APs as shown by the red dots on the map. The bottom left AP will be the master AP equipped with an 802.11a omni antenna as well as a local 802.11b AP and downtilt omni. The others will have an 802.11a directional antenna to use for a backhaul and a local 802.11b AP.

Our cost guesstimate is about $1000 per AP (for a Metrix box, added 802.11a radio, 802.11a (or parabolic) and 802.11b antennas, tripod, cables, cat-5 cable etc). This is gear we've installed several times now, so we expect it to be a predictable installation (I'm learning never to say easy!).

We'll tie it all together with another box acting as the gateway and traffic shaper. We may also put a squid proxy cache there, to better utilize bandwidth. The two main contenders are a Soekris box running m0n0wall using its 'Wonder Shaper' settings and a separate squid box for caching, or a 4801 Soekris box with a hard disk running Mikrotik which has caching built-in.

At some point, we'd really like to move away from using Pebble in the nodes due to the relative complexities of configuration (think Linux vs web-browser), but although some great 802.11b radios exist, we haven't found an affordable (indoor or outdoor) 802.11a client and/or AP we can use. Hopefully soon...

Sherman Heights