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AREDN Equipment

AREDN runs on specific commercial WiFi radios. Always confirm a device is on the official Supported Devices list before buying—support changes with each release, and outwardly identical models sometimes differ inside.

Common device families

Most local nodes fall into a few categories:

  • 2.4 GHz sector / omni nodes — good for filling in a neighborhood or acting as a local hub. We standardize on 2.4 GHz, Channel -2 (see Getting Started).
  • Directional dishes / basestations — for long point-to-point backbone links between sites with clear line of sight.
  • PC / virtual nodes — AREDN can also run on x86 hardware or a VM to host services (Winlink, phones, file shares) behind a radio node.

Tip

Pair every radio with its matching PoE injector, and a weatherproof mount if it's going outdoors. Confirm the exact hardware revision against the supported-devices list before you order.

HaLow (802.11ah) — 900 MHz

AREDN now supports some 900 MHz HaLow radios, which trade microwave speed for much better range and terrain/foliage penetration. It's an emerging option we're actively testing—see the dedicated HaLow (802.11ah) page.