Below is the simplest setup I could come up with for an AREDN 5G point to point mesh field kit. This has been tested at 8 miles and 16 miles away from nearby nodes. It works best, no surprise, at 8 miles. Overall distance, dish alignment and pathway obstacles (i.e. low hills, trees and especially buildings blocking line of sight) affect the connection quality and network speed greatly. Basically you need to be able to cleary see the node to be connect to it. An ideal location is as close as you reasonably can get with no obstructions in your line of sight or in the fresnel zone. I chose 5G because my area has plenty of nodes operating 5G. If you need 2G, consider other dishes. I would love to hear your feedback. You can use my contact form to reach me.
Here is my working parts list:
| Item | Cost |
| TP-Link CPE610
|
Discontinued – Check Ebay for open box / used equipment around $50-125. As of 1/11/2021, there is currently no AREDN firmware for the newer version of this dish (CPE710). NOTE: A more expensive Ubiquity dish would probably reach farther! |
| To power up the dish, I’m using this battery pack which supplies power over ethernet.
|
$37.99 at Amazon |
| Tripod Dish Stand
|
$34.99 at Amazon Any tripod (or even a 20 foot collapsing flagpole) will do. The higher above ground, the better. NOTE: Home Depot sells tripods for $20! |
| 15 Foot CAT5 Cable
|
$6.84 at Amazon NOTE: I have tried lengths up to 25′ with no issues. |
| Any Laptop Computer with a Lan Cable Input
|
You might have to buy a USB network adapter for your computer if yours doesn’t already have a LAN input. |
| Want to use it at home connected via tunnels to the greater MESH network? Then you’ll need something like this – a managed switch with VLAN capabilities.
TP-Link 5 Port Gigabit Switch (TL-SG105E)
|
$24.99 at Amazon |
