AREDN Introduction - What is it, Why Does It Matter
AREDN - Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network
Hold up … let’s pause right there. That little “E” in AREDN has always stood for Emergency—but honestly, I think it deserves a promotion. In my mind, that E should stand for Everything. Because that’s exactly what AREDN can be: not just a tool for emergencies, but a part of our everyday amateur radio lives.
Sure, AREDN was originally envisioned as a network solution to shine in high-stakes, high-adrenaline emergency situations. And it does that brilliantly. But here’s the thing: if we only dust it off during a crisis, we’re missing out on its true potential. By weaving AREDN into our daily amateur radio practice, we not only stay sharp and familiar with the gear—we also unlock a world of creative uses that keep us prepared long before disaster ever strikes.
And the beauty of it? AREDN works whether we know each other or not. Imagine this: complete strangers from opposite sides of the world show up at the same event. We unpack our gear, power up our nodes, and within 20 minutes everything is talking together like old friends. No need for introductions. No need for backstory. Just plug, play, and let the mesh do its magic. Stick with the AREDN defaults when building your node, and you’ll find your equipment fitting in seamlessly—like sliding into a conversation with high school buddies you haven’t seen in years.
Let’s peel back the layers a bit.
At the heart of it all is the firmware. AREDN runs on a specialized flavor of DD-WRT that unlocks the full potential of off-the-shelf networking hardware. Brands like Ubiquiti, Mikrotik, and TP-Link dominate the roster, with more being added as support expands. The magic lies in its mesh design: every node, whether on the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bands, knows about every other node. Together, they create a living, breathing network that automatically finds the best path for traffic. If a link weakens or drops, the mesh instantly reroutes through a stronger connection—over and over, keeping the system resilient.
And yes, you might be thinking: “Wait, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz … isn’t that just like my home Wi-Fi?” Technically, yes. But here’s where the amateur radio advantage kicks in: we have access to special slices of spectrum just above and below the standard consumer frequencies. Those “sweet spots” let us operate with less interference, more distance, and in many cases, better throughput. It’s like having a VIP lane on the information superhighway.
“So what can AREDN actually do?” you might ask. AREDN can do anything and everything you do today at home, work, and school. Can you browse the web? Yes if someone is sharing their Internet connection with the mesh. Can you watch Netflix? Technically yes if someone is sharing their Internet connection but you will seriously degrade network performance that could be better used elsewhere. Since AREDN was founded under the principle of being a data networking tool for emergency communications lets dial back into that thought. During an emergency what is the first thing any responder should look for, track, and maintain throughout the event? Situational Awareness. AREDN can be utilized as an aid when it comes to situational awareness because we can deploy network based cameras and have them feed back to Net Control and other locations throughout the area that would benefit from those extra “eyes”.
Here’s an example, the Especially For You 5K and Family Walk coming up on Oct 5th - we will be deploying cameras around the course. We will be able to feed those cameras back to software on a Laptop in the eComms Trailer that will be parked on 10th street near the Start/Finish line. At the trailer we’ll have a large screen TV with the cameras up for served agencies at Ground Zero to view the course. Also Amateur Radio Operators will be staged at the EOC with members from EMA on site being our “Eagles In The Sky” viewing the camera feeds as well and if a situation arose they could dispatch help or take over watching the course while an operator on site tended to a situation near them.
Another “communication tool” we’ve been working with is IP Phones. Currently at the Linn County EOC we have a PBX server where we can connect phones to extensions and be able to call each other, the EOC, and we even have a phone programmed in the Comms Room at Mercy Hospital in Downtown Cedar Rapids. While that specific phone may not be used other than once a year, it is still a vital piece of communication when our world may come crashing down around us.
Recently-ish, the majority of us went through the Flood of 08, the Flood of 16, and the Derecho in 2020, operators have been staged in that Comms Room because our primary source of communications - a 2M radio and antenna - are already staged there, tested yearly with thanks to the Especially For You event, so it just makes sense to expand our communications ability by bringing AREDN to the table.
These are just a couple quick examples of what we can possibly do. We’re slowly building out monitoring tools to manage all of our nodes. Some of these tools may even helped our EMA team monitor battery and solar status at each of the outdoor warning poles in the near future as right now that is just in the planning stages for a Proof of Concept project that may kick off Spring of 2026. I am looking into what the rules and regulations are with dealing with a FirstNet router, maybe we could use the AREDN backbone across the State of Iowa to provide an Internet connection from the Twin Cities, Chicago, Omana, or St. Louis back into Cedar Rapids, or Des Moines because we had another derecho rip out power and communications across a dozen or more counties.
Hopefully from this article I was able to shine some light on a very bright and upcoming technology for us Amateur Radio Operators. If you have questions or need help getting started please please please do not hesitate to email me - [email protected]. Also everyone is invited to our monthly meetings - First Saturday of the Month (Unless we have an event planned) at the Linn County Emergency Management Operations Center - 6301 Kirkwood Blvd Cedar Rapids, IA 52404 - We meet 8:30 - 10:30 am. We have access to equipment on site to work with at this location. We will help anyone get hardware flashed with the AREDN firmware, assist with any troubleshooting on issues anyone is having, and we’ll always have a good time doing it all.