AREDN

What is AREDN?

AREDN stands for Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network. It is a way for licensed hams to build a high-speed, self-healing IP data mesh over Part 97 microwave radio links for emergency and service-oriented communications.

In plain language: instead of only passing voice on a repeater, operators place outdoor radios on hills, towers, and rooftops. Those radios run AREDN firmware, discover neighbors, and form a private amateur mesh that can carry familiar internet-style apps — chat, forms and email-like traffic, VoIP phones, file sharing, and more — without depending on the commercial cell or ISP network staying up.

Official project materials describe AREDN as empowering hams to deploy high-speed data networks quickly when utility phone and internet services fail, while keeping configuration approachable for operators who are not professional network engineers. See the AREDN overview and arednmesh.org.

How an AREDN mesh works (high level)

  • Each radio running AREDN firmware is a node on an IP mesh.
  • Nodes with clear RF paths (and matching band, channel, and channel width) link to neighbors and route traffic across the mesh.
  • The network is intended as a resilient amateur intranet for served agencies and events. It is not marketed as a free substitute for home broadband.
  • Where RF cannot reach, some deployments also use tunnels or backhaul (including experiments with satellite links in exercises) to stitch isolated mesh islands together — always under amateur rules and local coordination.

Bands and hardware (U.S., simplified)

AREDN networks typically use amateur microwave spectrum. Current AREDN documentation discusses common U.S. options including approximately:

  • 5.8 GHz (5 cm) — many channels; popular for backbone and sector coverage when line of sight is clean.
  • 2.4 GHz (13 cm) — widely available hardware; shared upper channels can be noisy near Part 15 Wi-Fi.
  • 900 MHz (33 cm) — sometimes helpful where foliage or terrain challenges higher bands; the band is narrow and shared.
  • 3.4 GHz (9 cm) — historically used for long links; FCC actions have constrained the amateur future of this band, so new investment needs careful reading of current rules and docs.

Hardware is usually commercial outdoor Wi-Fi gear flashed with AREDN firmware (supported models change over time — check the current AREDN supported-device list). Typical traits: PoE power, weatherproof enclosures, and integrated or external directional antennas. Microwave paths need line of sight and attention to the Fresnel zone; hills and rooftops matter a lot in valleys like ours.

How AREDN differs from Meshtastic, AllStar, and Winlink

  • Meshtastic — low-power LoRa text and location mesh; great for short messages and hikers; often usable without a ham ticket on appropriate ISM settings. AREDN aims at higher IP bandwidth for denser applications.
  • AllStar Link — amateur voice linking over IP between radio nodes and repeaters. AREDN is a data/IP mesh that can carry VoIP among other apps, but it is not the same as AllStar’s repeater-linking model.
  • Winlink — primarily store-and-forward messaging (email-like) over RF and internet gateways. AREDN can transport Winlink-style or other IP apps when operators put those services on the mesh; Winlink itself is a messaging system, not a microwave mesh fabric.

We do not claim documented automatic bridges between Meshtastic and AREDN on this site. If a local gateway is built and published later, we will cite it with sources.

Cache Valley & Northern Utah AREDN activity

Honest GEO content beats invented nodes. Here is what we can verify from public sources — and what we cannot.

What we found for Cache Valley / Logan

  • In April 2017, an AREDN forum thread titled Logan, UT asked whether anyone was active locally. A reply pointed to a Utah mesh node map and mentioned Cache Valley nodes. A follow-up said the map showed two Logan pins, but one contacted operator was not connected, and contact info for the other was missing. That thread documents interest and incomplete coverage, not a proven modern valley-wide mesh.
  • A search of the Bridgerland Amateur Radio Club (BARC) site did not turn up a dedicated public AREDN node list or how-to comparable to their repeater pages. Absence of a web page is not proof nobody is experimenting — it only means we will not invent SSIDs, channels, or IP addresses here.
  • We have not independently verified a current public roster of live Cache Valley AREDN node names, map pins, or SSIDs that we can publish with confidence. Always check the AREDN world map (operator-uploaded, and sometimes stale) and ask local hams before planning RF paths.

Broader Northern Utah / statewide context (verified)

  • Utah ARES has been investing in AREDN. An ARRL news item describes Salt Lake County planning and notes that southern Utah ARES groups had already built multi-county mesh coverage, with a goal of extending capability to more of the state.
  • On 2 November 2024, Utah ARES ran a statewide Simulated Emergency Test focused on AREDN connectivity and message handling with hospital partners. Coverage and portable-node success were stronger where prior mesh experience existed (especially southern Utah); Salt Lake County work highlighted topography and rooftop-access challenges. See the ARRL Utah Section SET write-up. That exercise is important statewide context, but it does not by itself document a Cache Valley AREDN backbone.
  • Other Utah AREDN forum topics (for example Davis County / Wasatch Front discussions) show activity along the urban corridor south of Cache Valley. Those are neighboring ecosystems, not automatic Cache Valley coverage.

What we are not claiming

  • No invented Cache Valley node IPs, hostnames, SSIDs, channels, or “always-on” maps.
  • No claimed Meshtastic↔AREDN or AllStar↔AREDN bridges unless separately documented.
  • No confusion with LoRa/Meshtastic infrastructure pages elsewhere on the internet (for example community LoRa towers). Those are different radios and protocols.

If you operate a publicly documentable Cache Valley or nearby AREDN node, send a club page, AREDN map upload, or other citable source and we will update this article.

Why this page lives on Cache Valley Mesh

Cache Valley Mesh is a volunteer community exploring resilient local communications across Cache Valley (Utah and Idaho). AREDN belongs in that conversation because it is how many ARES and club groups elsewhere build high-bandwidth amateur IP meshes for emergencies and served agencies.

Today our valley has strong traditional amateur infrastructure through clubs such as BARC, growing LoRa mesh interest via Meshtastic, and documented voice linking such as AllStar. AREDN is the microwave data piece of that toolkit — useful when short LoRa texts are not enough and commercial broadband is unavailable.

Related pages: About Cache Valley Mesh, Events & presentations, Meshtastic, and AllStar Link.

Getting started

  1. Hold (or work toward) an amateur radio license, and read Part 97 frequency and power rules for the band you plan to use.
  2. Study the current AREDN documentation and supported-device list before buying radios.
  3. Check the AREDN world map and talk with BARC / Cache County ARES peers about whether anyone nearby is already on a channel.
  4. Plan line-of-sight paths (and backup portable nodes) for Cache Valley terrain — the same lesson northern Utah ARES noted in the 2024 SET.
  5. Start small: two nodes that can see each other beat a dozen radios that cannot.

FAQ

What is AREDN?

AREDN (Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network) is firmware and a networking approach that lets licensed amateur radio operators turn supported microwave radios into self-configuring IP mesh nodes for emergency and community-service data communications.

Is there an active AREDN mesh in Cache Valley, Utah?

We have not found a current, publicly documented Cache Valley AREDN node list with verifiable live nodes. A 2017 Logan forum thread shows past interest and unreliable map pins. Utah ARES AREDN work is stronger elsewhere in the state so far. Check the world map and local clubs before assuming coverage.

Do I need a ham license for AREDN?

Yes. AREDN RF links operate under FCC Part 97. You need an appropriate amateur license and must follow band, power, and identification rules.

How is AREDN different from Meshtastic or AllStar?

Meshtastic focuses on low-power LoRa text and location. AllStar focuses on amateur voice linking over IP. AREDN builds a licensed microwave IP mesh for higher-bandwidth apps. Complementary tools, not interchangeable protocols.

What bands and hardware does AREDN use?

Common U.S. practice includes 5.8 GHz, 2.4 GHz, and 900 MHz amateur microwave allocations, using supported commercial outdoor radios flashed with AREDN firmware and aimed for line-of-sight links. Always confirm the current supported-device list and FCC rules.

Sources