mirror of
https://github.com/markqvist/Reticulum.git
synced 2024-11-30 01:00:18 +00:00
319 lines
20 KiB
HTML
319 lines
20 KiB
HTML
|
||
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||
|
||
<html>
|
||
<head>
|
||
<meta charset="utf-8" />
|
||
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
|
||
<title>Communications Hardware — Reticulum Network Stack 0.3.8 beta documentation</title>
|
||
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="_static/pygments.css" />
|
||
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="_static/classic.css" />
|
||
|
||
<script data-url_root="./" id="documentation_options" src="_static/documentation_options.js"></script>
|
||
<script src="_static/jquery.js"></script>
|
||
<script src="_static/underscore.js"></script>
|
||
<script src="_static/doctools.js"></script>
|
||
|
||
<link rel="index" title="Index" href="genindex.html" />
|
||
<link rel="search" title="Search" href="search.html" />
|
||
<link rel="next" title="Supported Interfaces" href="interfaces.html" />
|
||
<link rel="prev" title="Understanding Reticulum" href="understanding.html" />
|
||
</head><body>
|
||
<div class="related" role="navigation" aria-label="related navigation">
|
||
<h3>Navigation</h3>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li class="right" style="margin-right: 10px">
|
||
<a href="genindex.html" title="General Index"
|
||
accesskey="I">index</a></li>
|
||
<li class="right" >
|
||
<a href="interfaces.html" title="Supported Interfaces"
|
||
accesskey="N">next</a> |</li>
|
||
<li class="right" >
|
||
<a href="understanding.html" title="Understanding Reticulum"
|
||
accesskey="P">previous</a> |</li>
|
||
<li class="nav-item nav-item-0"><a href="index.html">Reticulum Network Stack 0.3.8 beta documentation</a> »</li>
|
||
<li class="nav-item nav-item-this"><a href="">Communications Hardware</a></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
</div>
|
||
|
||
<div class="document">
|
||
<div class="documentwrapper">
|
||
<div class="bodywrapper">
|
||
<div class="body" role="main">
|
||
|
||
<div class="section" id="communications-hardware">
|
||
<span id="hardware-main"></span><h1>Communications Hardware<a class="headerlink" href="#communications-hardware" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h1>
|
||
<p>One of the truly valuable aspects of Reticulum is the ability to use it over
|
||
almost any conceivable kind of communications medium. The <a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html#interfaces-main"><span class="std std-ref">interface types</span></a>
|
||
available for configuration in Reticulum are flexible enough to cover the use
|
||
of most wired and wireless communications hardware available, from decades-old
|
||
packet radio modems to modern millimeter-wave backhaul systems.</p>
|
||
<p>If you already have or operate some kind of communications hardware, there is a
|
||
very good chance that it will work with Reticulum out of the box. In case it does
|
||
not, it is possible to provide the necessary glue with very little effort using
|
||
for example the <a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html#interfaces-pipe"><span class="std std-ref">PipeInterface</span></a> or the <a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html#interfaces-tcpc"><span class="std std-ref">TCPClientInterface</span></a>
|
||
in combination with code like <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/simplyequipped/tcpkissserver">TCP KISS Server</a>
|
||
by <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/simplyequipped">simplyequipped</a>.</p>
|
||
<p>While this broad support and flexibility is very useful, an abundance of options
|
||
can sometimes make it difficult to know where to begin, especially when you are
|
||
starting from scratch.</p>
|
||
<p>This chapter will outline a few different sensible starting paths to get
|
||
real-world functional wireless communications up and running with minimal cost
|
||
and effort. Two fundamental devices categories will be covered, <em>RNodes</em> and
|
||
<em>WiFi-based radios</em>.</p>
|
||
<p>While there are many other device categories that are useful in building Reticulum
|
||
networks, knowing how to employ just these two will make it possible to build
|
||
a wide range of useful networks with little effort.</p>
|
||
<div class="section" id="rnode">
|
||
<span id="rnode-main"></span><h2>RNode<a class="headerlink" href="#rnode" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
|
||
<p>Reliable and general-purpose long-range digital radio transceiver systems are
|
||
commonly either very expensive, difficult to set up and operate, hard to source,
|
||
power-hungry, or all of the above at the same time. In an attempt to alleviate
|
||
this situation, the transceiver system <em>RNode</em> was designed. It is important to
|
||
note that RNode is not one specific device, from one particular vendor, but
|
||
<em>an open plaform</em> that anyone can use to build interoperable digital transceivers
|
||
suited to their needs and particular situations.</p>
|
||
<p>An RNode is a general purpose, interoperable, low-power and long-range, reliable,
|
||
open and flexible radio communications device. Depending on its components, it can
|
||
operate on many different frequency bands, and use many different modulation
|
||
schemes, but most commonly, and for the purposes of this chapter, we will limit
|
||
the discussion to RNodes using <em>LoRa</em> modulation in common ISM bands.</p>
|
||
<p><strong>Avoid Confusion!</strong> RNodes can use LoRa as a <em>physical-layer modulation</em>, but it
|
||
does not use, and has nothing to do with the <em>LoRaWAN</em> protocol and standard, commonly
|
||
used for centrally controlled IoT devices. RNodes use <em>raw LoRa modulation</em>, without
|
||
any additional protocol overhead. All high-level protocol funcionality is handled
|
||
directly by Reticulum.</p>
|
||
<div class="section" id="creating-rnodes">
|
||
<span id="rnode-creating"></span><h3>Creating RNodes<a class="headerlink" href="#creating-rnodes" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3>
|
||
<p>RNode has been designed as a system that is easy to replicate across time and
|
||
space. You can put together a functioning transceiver using commonly available
|
||
components, and a few open source software tools. While you can design and build RNodes
|
||
completely from scratch, to your exact desired specifications, this chapter
|
||
will explain the easiest possible approach to creating RNodes: Using common
|
||
LoRa development boards. This approach can be boiled down to two simple steps:</p>
|
||
<ol class="arabic simple">
|
||
<li><p>Obtain one or more supported development boards</p></li>
|
||
<li><p>Install the RNode firmware with the automated installer</p></li>
|
||
</ol>
|
||
<p>Once the firmware has been installed and provisioned by the install script, it
|
||
is ready to use with any software that supports RNodes, including Reticulum.
|
||
The device can be used with Reticulum by adding an <a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html#interfaces-rnode"><span class="std std-ref">RNodeInterface</span></a>
|
||
to the configuration.</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div class="section" id="supported-boards">
|
||
<span id="rnode-supported"></span><h3>Supported Boards<a class="headerlink" href="#supported-boards" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3>
|
||
<p>To create one or more RNodes, you will need to obtain supported development
|
||
boards. The following boards are supported by the auto-installer.</p>
|
||
<div class="section" id="lilygo-lora32-v2-1">
|
||
<h4>LilyGO LoRa32 v2.1<a class="headerlink" href="#lilygo-lora32-v2-1" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h4>
|
||
<a class="reference internal image-reference" href="_images/board_t3v21.png"><img alt="_images/board_t3v21.png" class="align-center" src="_images/board_t3v21.png" style="width: 46%;" /></a>
|
||
<ul class="simple">
|
||
<li><p><strong>Supported Firmware Lines</strong> v1.x & v2.x</p></li>
|
||
<li><p><strong>Transceiver IC</strong> Semtech SX1276</p></li>
|
||
<li><p><strong>Device Platform</strong> ESP32</p></li>
|
||
<li><p><strong>Manufacturer</strong> <a class="reference external" href="https://lilygo.cn">LilyGO</a></p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div class="section" id="lilygo-lora32-v2-0">
|
||
<h4>LilyGO LoRa32 v2.0<a class="headerlink" href="#lilygo-lora32-v2-0" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h4>
|
||
<a class="reference internal image-reference" href="_images/board_t3v20.png"><img alt="_images/board_t3v20.png" class="align-center" src="_images/board_t3v20.png" style="width: 46%;" /></a>
|
||
<ul class="simple">
|
||
<li><p><strong>Supported Firmware Lines</strong> v1.x & v2.x</p></li>
|
||
<li><p><strong>Transceiver IC</strong> Semtech SX1276</p></li>
|
||
<li><p><strong>Device Platform</strong> ESP32</p></li>
|
||
<li><p><strong>Manufacturer</strong> <a class="reference external" href="https://lilygo.cn">LilyGO</a></p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div class="section" id="lilygo-t-beam">
|
||
<h4>LilyGO T-Beam<a class="headerlink" href="#lilygo-t-beam" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h4>
|
||
<a class="reference internal image-reference" href="_images/board_tbeam.png"><img alt="_images/board_tbeam.png" class="align-center" src="_images/board_tbeam.png" style="width: 75%;" /></a>
|
||
<ul class="simple">
|
||
<li><p><strong>Supported Firmware Lines</strong> v1.x & v2.x</p></li>
|
||
<li><p><strong>Transceiver IC</strong> Semtech SX1276</p></li>
|
||
<li><p><strong>Device Platform</strong> ESP32</p></li>
|
||
<li><p><strong>Manufacturer</strong> <a class="reference external" href="https://lilygo.cn">LilyGO</a></p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div class="section" id="heltec-lora32-v2-0">
|
||
<h4>Heltec LoRa32 v2.0<a class="headerlink" href="#heltec-lora32-v2-0" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h4>
|
||
<a class="reference internal image-reference" href="_images/board_heltec32.png"><img alt="_images/board_heltec32.png" class="align-center" src="_images/board_heltec32.png" style="width: 58%;" /></a>
|
||
<ul class="simple">
|
||
<li><p><strong>Supported Firmware Lines</strong> v1.x & v2.x</p></li>
|
||
<li><p><strong>Transceiver IC</strong> Semtech SX1276</p></li>
|
||
<li><p><strong>Device Platform</strong> ESP32</p></li>
|
||
<li><p><strong>Manufacturer</strong> <a class="reference external" href="https://heltec.org">Heltec Automation</a></p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div class="section" id="unsigned-rnode-v2-x">
|
||
<h4>Unsigned RNode v2.x<a class="headerlink" href="#unsigned-rnode-v2-x" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h4>
|
||
<a class="reference internal image-reference" href="_images/board_rnodev2.png"><img alt="_images/board_rnodev2.png" class="align-center" src="_images/board_rnodev2.png" style="width: 58%;" /></a>
|
||
<ul class="simple">
|
||
<li><p><strong>Supported Firmware Lines</strong> v1.x & v2.x</p></li>
|
||
<li><p><strong>Transceiver IC</strong> Semtech SX1276</p></li>
|
||
<li><p><strong>Device Platform</strong> ESP32</p></li>
|
||
<li><p><strong>Manufacturer</strong> <a class="reference external" href="https://unsigned.io">unsigned.io</a></p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div class="section" id="unsigned-rnode-v1-x">
|
||
<h4>Unsigned RNode v1.x<a class="headerlink" href="#unsigned-rnode-v1-x" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h4>
|
||
<a class="reference internal image-reference" href="_images/board_rnode.png"><img alt="_images/board_rnode.png" class="align-center" src="_images/board_rnode.png" style="width: 50%;" /></a>
|
||
<ul class="simple">
|
||
<li><p><strong>Supported Firmware Lines</strong> v1.x</p></li>
|
||
<li><p><strong>Transceiver IC</strong> Semtech SX1276</p></li>
|
||
<li><p><strong>Device Platform</strong> AVR ATmega1284p</p></li>
|
||
<li><p><strong>Manufacturer</strong> <a class="reference external" href="https://unsigned.io">unsigned.io</a></p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div class="section" id="installation">
|
||
<span id="rnode-installation"></span><h3>Installation<a class="headerlink" href="#installation" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3>
|
||
<p>Once you have obtained compatible boards, you can install the <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/markqvist/RNode_Firmware">RNode Firmware</a>
|
||
using the <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/markqvist/rnodeconfigutil">RNode Configuration Utility</a>.
|
||
Make sure that <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">Python3</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code> is installed on your system, and then install
|
||
the config utility with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pip</span></code>:</p>
|
||
<div class="highlight-default notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="n">pip3</span> <span class="n">install</span> <span class="n">rnodeconf</span>
|
||
</pre></div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p>Once installation has completed, it is time to start installing the firmware on your
|
||
devices. Run <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnodeconf</span></code> in auto-install mode like so:</p>
|
||
<div class="highlight-default notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="n">rnodeconf</span> <span class="o">--</span><span class="n">autoinstall</span>
|
||
</pre></div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p>The utility will guide you through the installation process by asking a series of
|
||
questions about your hardware. Simply follow the guide, and the utility will
|
||
auto-install and configure your devices</p>
|
||
<p><strong>Important Note!</strong> It is currently recommended to use the v1.x line of the RNode firmware,
|
||
even though the v2.x line is available for early testing. The v2.x line should still be
|
||
considered an experimental pre-release. Only use the v2.x firmware line if you want to test
|
||
out the absolutely newest version, and don’t care about stability.</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div class="section" id="usage-with-reticulum">
|
||
<span id="rnode-usage"></span><h3>Usage with Reticulum<a class="headerlink" href="#usage-with-reticulum" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3>
|
||
<p>When the devices have been installed and provisioned, you can use them with Reticulum
|
||
by adding the <a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html#interfaces-rnode"><span class="std std-ref">relevant interface section</span></a> to the configuration
|
||
file of Reticulum. For v1.x firmwares, you will have to specify all interface parameters,
|
||
such as serial port and on-air parameters. For v2.x firmwares, you just need to specify
|
||
the Connection ID of the RNode, and Reticulum will automatically locate and connect to the
|
||
RNode, using the parameters stored in the RNode itself.</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div class="section" id="suppliers">
|
||
<span id="rnode-suppliers"></span><h3>Suppliers<a class="headerlink" href="#suppliers" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h3>
|
||
<p>Get in touch if you want to have your RNode supplier listed here, or if you want help to
|
||
get started with producing RNodes.</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div class="section" id="wifi-based-hardware">
|
||
<h2>WiFi-based Hardware<a class="headerlink" href="#wifi-based-hardware" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
|
||
<p>It is possible to use all kinds of both short- and long-range Wifi-based hardware
|
||
with Reticulum. Any kind of hardware that fully supports bridged ethernet over the
|
||
WiFi interface will work with the <a class="reference internal" href="interfaces.html#interfaces-auto"><span class="std std-ref">AutoInterface</span></a> in Reticulum.
|
||
Most devices will behave like this by default, or allow it via configuration options.</p>
|
||
<p>This means that you can simply configure the physical links of the WiFi based devices,
|
||
and start communicating over them using Reticulum. It is not necessary to enable any IP
|
||
infrastructure such as DHCP servers, DNS or similar, as long as at least Ethernet is
|
||
available, and packets are passed transparently over the physical WiFi-based devices.</p>
|
||
<a class="reference internal image-reference" href="_images/radio_rblhg5.png"><img alt="_images/radio_rblhg5.png" src="_images/radio_rblhg5.png" style="width: 49%;" /></a>
|
||
<a class="reference internal image-reference" href="_images/radio_is5ac.png"><img alt="_images/radio_is5ac.png" src="_images/radio_is5ac.png" style="width: 49%;" /></a>
|
||
<p>Below is a list of example WiFi (and similar) radios that work well for high capacity
|
||
Reticulum links over long distances:</p>
|
||
<ul class="simple">
|
||
<li><p><a class="reference external" href="https://store.ui.com/collections/operator-airmax-devices">Ubiquiti airMAX radios</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p><a class="reference external" href="https://store.ui.com/collections/operator-ltu">Ubiquiti LTU radios</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p><a class="reference external" href="https://mikrotik.com/products/group/wireless-systems">MikroTik radios</a></p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<p>This list is by no means exhaustive, and only serves as a few examples of radio hardware
|
||
that is relatively cheap while providing long range and high capacity for Reticulum
|
||
networks. As in all other cases, it is also possible for Reticulum to co-exist with IP
|
||
networks running concurrently on such devices.</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div class="section" id="combining-hardware-types">
|
||
<h2>Combining Hardware Types<a class="headerlink" href="#combining-hardware-types" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
|
||
<p>It is useful to combine different link and hardware types when designing and
|
||
building a network. One useful design pattern is to employ high-capacity point-to-point
|
||
links based on WiFi or millimeter-wave radios (with high-gain directional antennas)
|
||
for the network backbone, and using LoRa-based RNodes for covering large areas with
|
||
connectivity for client devices.</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
|
||
|
||
<div class="clearer"></div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div class="sphinxsidebar" role="navigation" aria-label="main navigation">
|
||
<div class="sphinxsidebarwrapper">
|
||
<h3><a href="index.html">Table of Contents</a></h3>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#">Communications Hardware</a><ul>
|
||
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#rnode">RNode</a><ul>
|
||
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#creating-rnodes">Creating RNodes</a></li>
|
||
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#supported-boards">Supported Boards</a><ul>
|
||
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#lilygo-lora32-v2-1">LilyGO LoRa32 v2.1</a></li>
|
||
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#lilygo-lora32-v2-0">LilyGO LoRa32 v2.0</a></li>
|
||
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#lilygo-t-beam">LilyGO T-Beam</a></li>
|
||
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#heltec-lora32-v2-0">Heltec LoRa32 v2.0</a></li>
|
||
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#unsigned-rnode-v2-x">Unsigned RNode v2.x</a></li>
|
||
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#unsigned-rnode-v1-x">Unsigned RNode v1.x</a></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
</li>
|
||
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#installation">Installation</a></li>
|
||
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#usage-with-reticulum">Usage with Reticulum</a></li>
|
||
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#suppliers">Suppliers</a></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
</li>
|
||
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#wifi-based-hardware">WiFi-based Hardware</a></li>
|
||
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#combining-hardware-types">Combining Hardware Types</a></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
</li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
|
||
<h4>Previous topic</h4>
|
||
<p class="topless"><a href="understanding.html"
|
||
title="previous chapter">Understanding Reticulum</a></p>
|
||
<h4>Next topic</h4>
|
||
<p class="topless"><a href="interfaces.html"
|
||
title="next chapter">Supported Interfaces</a></p>
|
||
<div role="note" aria-label="source link">
|
||
<h3>This Page</h3>
|
||
<ul class="this-page-menu">
|
||
<li><a href="_sources/hardware.rst.txt"
|
||
rel="nofollow">Show Source</a></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="searchbox" style="display: none" role="search">
|
||
<h3 id="searchlabel">Quick search</h3>
|
||
<div class="searchformwrapper">
|
||
<form class="search" action="search.html" method="get">
|
||
<input type="text" name="q" aria-labelledby="searchlabel" />
|
||
<input type="submit" value="Go" />
|
||
</form>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<script>$('#searchbox').show(0);</script>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div class="clearer"></div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div class="related" role="navigation" aria-label="related navigation">
|
||
<h3>Navigation</h3>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li class="right" style="margin-right: 10px">
|
||
<a href="genindex.html" title="General Index"
|
||
>index</a></li>
|
||
<li class="right" >
|
||
<a href="interfaces.html" title="Supported Interfaces"
|
||
>next</a> |</li>
|
||
<li class="right" >
|
||
<a href="understanding.html" title="Understanding Reticulum"
|
||
>previous</a> |</li>
|
||
<li class="nav-item nav-item-0"><a href="index.html">Reticulum Network Stack 0.3.8 beta documentation</a> »</li>
|
||
<li class="nav-item nav-item-this"><a href="">Communications Hardware</a></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div class="footer" role="contentinfo">
|
||
© Copyright 2022, Mark Qvist.
|
||
Created using <a href="https://www.sphinx-doc.org/">Sphinx</a> 4.0.1.
|
||
</div>
|
||
</body>
|
||
</html> |