
Ask HN: Can FRS/GRMS Radio Be Used for a LAN? - oblib
Starting from the &quot;I know nothing about this&quot; point, and ignoring any legal restrictions:<p>Could one hook a wifi up to a FRS&#x2F;GMRS Radio and create a network that would cover a few miles?<p>If so, it would seem something like this could be pretty handy in emergency&#x2F;disaster situations and for plain old fun.
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closeparen
If you want to extend a WiFi network over a few miles, you may be interested
in Ubiquiti's radios [0]. These (and similar form factor radios from other
manufacturers) are pretty common on rooftops for fixed point-to-point
connectivity between sites. Only costs a few hundred bucks per station,
depending on your range and bandwidth needs. My school district had them to
connect all the schools (a few blocks apart from each other) rather than
burying fiber. The other big use case is rural wireless ISPs, connecting farms
to each other and eventually a POP with a wired internet connection.

They are point to point links though, things get a lot more complicated if
your stations are mobile.

[0]
[https://www.ubnt.com/products/#default](https://www.ubnt.com/products/#default)

~~~
cweagans
Are the points fixed? i.e. 2 buildings or similar? Point to point links like
this are probably not a good choice if you're going to be on a boat or
something, but for a couple of buildings, Ubiquity is the tool for the job.

If you know specifically where your points are going to be, you can check out
Ubiquity's link planner
([https://airlink.ubnt.com/#/ptp](https://airlink.ubnt.com/#/ptp)) to make
sure that you'll get a clear shot from one place to another (it has to be line
of sight and totally clear of obstructions).

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deanfranks
If you are looking for speeds on the order of 0.0024 Mbps (2400 baud) then
maybe. You could use amateur radio packet radio gateways and radio modems and
set something up.

You could do it legally (in the US) by paying a token amount and getting a
part 90 business license or possibly by using MURS frequencies instead of
FRS/GMRS.

~~~
closeparen
>paying a token amount and getting a part 90 business license

The spectrum is reserved for actual business use; "amateur radio, but with
encryption" is not on the list of eligible use cases for a business band
license [0]. If you're willing to break the law, wouldn't it be simpler to go
ahead and transmit encrypted on the amateur spectrum than to submit a
fraudulent application for a business band license?

[0] [https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-
divis...](https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-
division/industrial-business#block-menu-block-4)

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luxpir
I believe there is an overlap with amateur radio bands and some of the wifi
channels (1-6?). Can't remember which, but you can basically boost wifi to
amateur radio ticket-holder powers all within regs. There has been discussion
around having your encryption key in your log book, making that available for
physical inspection, while retaining encryption on the wire.

Check out HSMM Mesh[0] and similar projects.

-

[0] - [http://www.broadband-hamnet.org/](http://www.broadband-hamnet.org/)

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j_s
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15206567](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15206567)
(Sep 2017)

>superkuh: _I run two ubiquiti nanostation M900_ [$130 each] _at home on a 10m
pole and in my car through the sunroof for a mobile data link._

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EgoIncarnate
You also aren't allowed to have anything coded/encrypted, so it's useless for
anything that requires privacy.

