Our Bill of Materials (BOM) exists to help interested Amateur Radio Operators, Served Agencies, and other organizations quickly source parts and equipment required to connect to SFWEM. Items on the BOM are suggested based on experience and other factors such as cost and reliability, however, the AREDN Supported Platform Matrix is the final authority on what equipment may be used with the mesh. You are not required to use the specific devices or build-outs listed here.

For new deployments we recommend 5.8 GHz nodes, as this band tends to have a lower noise floor, less competing users, and more spectrum available for Amateur Radio.

There are several equipment configuration examples outlined below. Examples do not include other required components like ethernet cable, or recommended components like a backup battery, UPS, or ethernet surge suppressors.

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A Note on Vendors

Streakwave is the Bay Area's local Wireless ISP vendor, carrying almost everything you'd need to build a site. They are an authorized vendor for MikroTik and Ubquiti/UBNT branded equipment, and often sell MikroTik gear for less than MSRP, and far less than what you'd pay on Amazon or Ebay. Ubquiti equipment can also be sourced directly from Ubquiti via their online store, or used via Ebay.

In general, Amazon is a poor source for WISP equipment - you will often find a better deal elsewhere.

What to buy

You can find an up-to-date list of suggested hardware, appropriate for various different situations and locations, on our Wiki.