From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: From: Simon Wunderlich Date: Fri, 8 Nov 2013 10:02:30 +0100 References: In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: Text/Plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Message-Id: <201311081002.30712.sw@simonwunderlich.de> Subject: Re: [B.A.T.M.A.N.] Replacing OLSRD with batman-adv? Reply-To: The list for a Better Approach To Mobile Ad-hoc Networking List-Id: The list for a Better Approach To Mobile Ad-hoc Networking List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , To: b.a.t.m.a.n@lists.open-mesh.org Hello Travis, > Hi Ladies and Gents, > > I've built a three-node mesh network using cheap TP-Link TL-WDR3600 > routers. They can do simultaneous 5.8GHz and 2.4GHz. I use the 5.8 for > the backbone links between the nodes, and 2.4 to clients. The nodes > are running OpenWRT and OLSRD. > > This system mostly works well, but there are a couple of problems with > it that I'm wondering if batman-adv would solve or make easier to > solve: > > 1) The backbone links cannot be better protected than WEP, a > limitation of OLSRD, > 2) Gateway assignment is a manual process, which must be performed on > every node in the mesh, referring to the single node connected to the > WAN, > 3) The manual gateway configuration of 2) prevents peer-to-peer > communications between mesh clients, > 4) Each node has its own /24 subnet. This causes problems when a > device roams from one device's jurisdiction to another if the > interface doesn't re-issue a DHCP request. > > We're expanding the network, I've just bought another ten of these > routers, and I'm going to spend some time assessing if batman-adv > would be a better fit for our purposes. There will be a range of ios, > android and windows devices connecting to the mesh. > > My questions are as follows: > > 1) Does batman-adv worth with WPA2 or better encryption? you can use IBSS/RSN with wpa-supplicant, this is WPA2 encryption for Ad-Hoc. (BTW this would also work with olsr). It is available in recent kernels and OpenWRT trunk. > 2) Must every client to a batman-adv mesh have a daemon installed? No, that's not required. > 3) Is it possible to separate different radio interfaces for different > purposes? I.E. 5.8 for backbone, 2.4 for clients. Yes, you can instruct batman-adv to only use the 5.8 GHz interface. Just add the interfaces you want batman-adv to use. > 4) Can all nodes and clients on a mesh have an IP in the same subnet, > solving some of the roaming problems caused by bad interface settings > or drivers? Yes, that's one of the strong points of batman-adv compared to Layer3 routing daemons. Just put a DHCP server somewhere in your network, bridge everything, and enjoy a Layer2 broadcast domain with only one subnet, just as you would use it in a LAN. We also support fast roaming, so you can maintain connectivity when changing Access Points with only minimal outages. We have a lot of documentation, you can get started at: https://www.open-mesh.org/projects/batman-adv/wiki/Quick-start-guide if you have multiple gatways to the Internet check https://www.open-mesh.org/projects/batman-adv/wiki/Gateways Although this is not required if you only have one gateway. Cheers, Simon