Configuring and Testing Mesh Radios for Air-To-Ground Communications

The initial mesh network used to demonstrate a simple mesh network for the air-to-ground challenge
will consist of 4 mesh radios purchased from DoodleLabs. The multiband radios operate in both the
915MHz and 2450MHz frequencies and can use Wi-Fi to connect to deployed devices. The DoodleLabs
radios come preconfigured with unique IP addresses but to make sure of compatibility each radio will be
assigned an IP address. For initial testing configurations will be changed using the built-in local web
server interface that DoodleLabs radios provide. To access the webserver a computer connects to the
radios broadcast Wi-Fi network using the default credentials, then enter the default IP address into a
browser. This webserver will allow the user to monitor the radio performance and make changes to the
various systems. The simple configuration page will allow an operator to make many of the initial
changes to place each radio on the network and secure each connection with a new password.

Further testing will then be performed by building out a simulated virtual network of 26 nodes and
connecting the 4 DoodleLabs radios into this simulation. This will give insight into the radio’s
performance in the larger system they will likely operate in given the project requirements. This testing
will focus on multi-hop throughput, latency and the resiliency to packet loss.