Your first HSMM-Mesh Broadband-Hamnet node should be a NanoStationM2

If you are just getting started in Broadband-Hamnet, I recommend you start out by purchasing a Ubiquiti NanoStationM2 as your first node. I do not recommend starting out with a Linksys WRT54G series.

Broadband-Hamnet has undergone a lot of growth over the last couple years. We now have another option in hardware vendors. We have the ability to use multiple frequency bands and even to link them together using Device to Device linking. We have more choices than ever.

When I first started in what was then known as HSMM-Mesh, now known as Broadband-Hamnet, the WRT54G series was the only hardware we had. It served its purpose, we were able to create some nodes, install them in locations that allowed for direct line of sight access and we were able to create some functional networks. The problem was the WRT54G was never designed to be used in this type of application. In order to use them in an outdoor location, it had to be mounted in a weatherproof enclosure. The stock antennas were intended to be used to provide links within a home. The stock antennas were not intended to be used for long range connections. Installing a high gain antenna on the WRT54G required coax to connect the two. The cable losses at 2.4 GHz required large diameter cables (at least LMR-400) and short cable runs. All this adds up to extra costs and complicates the building of a working node for us.

Component	Quantity	Unit Cost	Extended Cost
WRT54GL	1	50	50
Enclosure	1	40	40
Antenna	2	45	90
COAX	2	15	30
POE	1	10	10
Ethernet Cable	1	20	20
		TOTAL	240