High-speed multimedia radio
High-speed multimedia radio (HSMM), colloquially referred to as the hinternet, is the implementation of wireless data networks over amateur radio frequencies using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware such as 802.11 access points and D-Star equipment. Licensed amateur radio operators may use amplifiers and specialized antennas to increase the power and coverage of the 802.11 signal.
The name hinternet comes from a combination of the words ham and Internet and can be used to refer to any high speed data network over amateur radio, not just 802.11 networks.
Basics
The idea behind this implementation is to use the 900 MHz (33 cm), 2.4 GHz (13 cm), 3.4 GHz (9 cm), and 5.8 GHz (5 cm) amateur radio bands under the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Part 97 rules (amateur radio service) instead of the Part 15 rules (unlicensed). This enables amateur operators to legally use higher output power for wireless devices and allows for longer-range communications. Such communications can be used to assist in emergency communications and disaster relief operations and in everyday amateur radio communications.
What can it do?
The "hinternet" can support most of the traffic that the Internet currently does, including video chat, voice, instant messaging, the Web (HTTP), file transfer (FTP), and forums. The only differences being that on the hinternet such services are community instead of commercially implemented and the "hinternet" is mostly wireless. The hinternet can even be connected to the Internet and used for "Web surfing", although because of the FCC regulations on permitted content, this is rarely done. Using high gain antennas and amplifiers, reliable long-distance wireless links over many miles are possible and only limited by the radio horizon.
Frequencies and channels
The following is a list of the 802.11 channels that overlap into an amateur radio band under the FCC in the United States. Note that the 5 cm amateur band extends from 5650 to 5925 MHz, so that there are many frequencies outside the Part 15 ISM/UNII block used for 802.11a. Many commercial grade 802.11a access points can also operate in between the normal channels by using 5 MHz channel spacing instead of the standard 20 MHz channel spacing. 802.11a channels 132, 136 and 140 are only available for unlicensed use in ETSI regions.
The following images show the overlapping relationship of the Part 15 unlicensed bands and the Part 97 licensed bands. The images are not to scale.
2.4 GHz 802.11b/g
5.8 GHz 802.11a
- Acronyms Used: (AMSAT) (ISM) (Radar)
Channels and power
802.11a
- The 802.11a amateur radio band consists of twelve non-overlapping channels in the 5.650–5.925 GHz (5 cm) band. The 802.11a standard uses OFDM or "Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing" to transmit data and therefore is not classified as spread-spectrum. Because of this 802.11a hardware is not subject to the power rules in FCC Part 97 § 97.311 and the maximum allowable output power is 1500 watts (W) PEP.
802.11b
- The 802.11b amateur radio band consists of eight overlapping channels in the 2.390–2.450 GHz (13 cm) band. The 802.11b specification uses Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) to transmit data and is subject to the rules of FCC Part 97 § 97.311. Therefore the maximum allowable power output is 10 W PEP.
802.11g
- The 802.11g amateur radio band consists of eight overlapping channels in the 2.4 GHz (13 cm) band. The 802.11g standard uses OFDM or "Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing" to transmit data and therefore is not classified as spread-spectrum. Because of this 802.11g hardware is not subject to the power rules in FCC Part 97 § 97.311 and the maximum allowable output power is 1500 W PEP.
Frequency sharing
802.11a
- The 5 cm band is shared with the fixed-satellite service in ITU Region 1, and the radiolocation service. In ITU Region 2 (US) the primary user is military radiolocation, specifically naval radar. Amateur radio operators have secondary privileges to the Federal radiolocation service in the entire band and may not cause interference to these users. Amateur operators are allocated this band are in a co-secondary basis with ISM devices and space research. Amateur, space research, and ISM operators each have the "right to operate". Due to the lack of a high number of Part 15 users (compared to 2.4 GHz), the noise level tends to be lower in many parts of the US but can be quite congested in urban centers and on mountaintops.
802.11b/g
- The 13 cm band is shared with Part 15 users as well as the Federal radiolocation service, and ISM (industrial, scientific, medical) devices. Amateur radio operators have secondary privileges to the Federal radiolocation service in the entire band and may not cause interference to these users. Amateur radio operators have primary privileges to ISM devices from 2.390–2.417 GHz and secondary privileges from 2.417–2.450 GHz. Because of the high number of Part 15 users, the noise level in this band tends to be rather high.
Identification
- As with any amateur radio mode stations must identify at least once every 10 minutes. One acceptable method for doing so is to transmit one’s call sign inside an ICMP echo request (commonly known as a ping). If the access point is set to "master" then the user’s call sign may be set as the "SSID" and therefore will be transmitted at regular intervals.
- It is also possible to use a DDNS "push" request to automatically send an amateur callsign in plain text (ASCII) every 10 minutes. This requires that a computers hostname be set to the callsign of the amateur operator and that the DHCP servers lease time be set to less than or equal to 10 minutes. With this method implemented the computer will send a DNS "push" request that includes the local computers hostname every time the DHCP lease is renewed. This method is supported by all modern operating systems including but not limited to Windows, Mac OS X, BSD, and Linux.
- 802.11 hardware may transmit and receive the entire time it is powered on even if the user is not sending data.
Security
- Because the meaning of amateur transmissions may not be obscured, security measures that are implemented must be published. This does not necessarily restrict authentication or login schemes, but it does restrict fully encrypted communications. This leaves the communications vulnerable to various attacks once the authentication has been completed. This makes it very difficult to keep unauthorized users from accessing HSMM networks, although casual eavesdroppers can effectively be deterred. Current schemes include using MAC address filtering, WEP and WPA/WPA2. MAC address filtering and WEP are all hackable by using freely available software from the Internet, making them the less secure options. Per FCC rules the encryption keys themselves must be published in a publicly accessible place if using WEP, WPA/WPA2 or any other encryption, thereby undermining the security of their implementation. Such measures however are effective against casual or accidental wireless intrusions.
- Using professional or modified hardware it is possible to operate on 802.11a channels that are outside the FCC authorized Part 15 bands but still inside the 5.8 GHz (5 cm) or 2.4 GHz (13cm) amateur radio bands. Transverters or "frequency converters" can also be used to move HSMM 802.11b/g operations from the 2.4 GHz (13 cm) band to the 3.4 GHz (9 cm) amateur radio band. Such relocation provides a measure of security by operating outside the channels available to unlicensed (Part 15) 802.11 devices.
Custom frequencies
- Using professional grade commercial hardware or modified consumer grade hardware it is possible to operate 802.11 on channels that are outside of the normal FCC allocated frequencies for unlicensed users but still inside an amateur radio band. Some of these frequencies are inside the 2.4 GHz (13 cm), 3.4 GHz (9 cm) and the 5.8 GHz (5 cm) amateur radio bands, thereby providing better security and interference characteristics to amateur radio operators. While using amateur-only frequencies all but alleviates the security concerns of using 802.11, the relative high cost of such devices is a large deterrent to their widespread deployment.
420 MHz
- XAGYL Communications, is a Canadian Distributor of Ultra High-Speed, Long Range Wireless equipment. In 2009 they partnered with Doodle Labs, a privately held manufacturing company with headquarters in Singapore to design and manufacture a new line of long range Wireless Data Transceiver devices.
- The Doodle Labs DL435-30 or XAGYL Communications XC450M2, is a mini-PCI adapter based on the Atheros wireless chipset. In theory, the Atheros chipset's ability to use 5 MHz transmission bandwidths could allow part 97 operation on the 420-430 MHz ATV sub-band.
- 420-430 MHz operation is not allowed near the Canadian border.
900 MHz
- Transverters as well as using older 802.11 hardware such as the original NRC WaveLan or FHSS modems made by Aerocomm and FreeWave make it possible to operate on this band. Beware that noise floors on this band are usually very high in the larger cities.
1.2 GHz
- Using the Icom ID-1 one can facilitate multi-media applications.
2.4 GHz custom frequencies
- Using professional grade hardware or modified consumer grade hardware it is possible to operate on 802.11b/g hardware on channels that are effectively "0" at 2.407 GHz and "−1" at 2.402 GHz. Using these channels allows amateur operators to move away from unlicensed Part 15 operators but may interfere with AMSAT satellite downlinks near 2.400 GHz and 2.401 GHz.
3.4 GHz
- Frequency conversion involves the use of transverters that convert the operating frequency of the 802.11b/g device from 2.4 GHz to another band entirely. Transverter is a technical term and is rarely used to describe these products which are more commonly known as frequency converters, up/down converters, and just converters. Commercially-available converters can convert a 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g signal to the 3.4 GHz (9 cm) band which is not authorized for unlicensed Part 15 users.
- Ubiquiti Networks has two radios based on Atheros chipsets with transverters onboard for this band. The XtremeRange3 is a mini-PCI Adapter for 3.5GHz. And the 3 GHz Nanostation. This version is in a molded weatherproof case with 13 dBi antenna, dual polarization, plus external SMA antenna connector.
5.8 GHz custom frequencies
- Using professional grade hardware or modified consumer grade hardware it is possible to operate on 802.11a channels 116–140 (5.57–5.71 GHz) and channels above 165 (> 5.835 GHz). These frequencies are outside of the FCC allocated Part 15 unlicensed band, but still inside of the 5.8 GHz (5 cm) amateur radio band. Modifying consumer hardware to operate on these expanded channels often involves installing after-market firmware and/or changing the "country code" setting of the wireless card. When buying professional grade hardware, many companies will authorize the use of these expanded frequencies for a small additional fee.
Custom firmware
One popular way to access amateur only frequencies is to modify an off-the-shelf access point with custom firmware. This custom firmware is freely available on the Internet from projects such as DD-WRT and OpenWrt. The most popular piece of hardware that is modified is the Linksys WRT54GL because of the widespread availability of both the hardware and third party firmware.
See also
External links