TIPS Setting up PIAF for a wifi LAN network

CharlesAsh

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I am looking for assistance on how to setup PIAF for use on a fairly large (20 node) community wifi mesh network. No node on the network is more than 3 hops away and so I am confident that the VOIP quality will be very good...if I can get it to work. The network is in a rural area and will not have any Internet backhaul access whatsoever, as such, the VOIP will be purely for neighbours to be able to call each other at no cost.

I have setup PIAF and it is working perfectly (sort of). I need some assistance on how do I setup extensions so that I can assign users numbers and they can start making and receiving calls.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
 

rossiv

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I have setup PIAF and it is working perfectly (sort of). I need some assistance on how do I setup extensions so that I can assign users numbers and they can start making and receiving calls.
So is the server is connected hardwired or via WiFi? On my first read it sounded like WiFi, but I read it again and it sounds like the server is at the main node of the mesh.

As for extensions, you would create them just as you would if you had internet. In FreePBX, go to Extensions > Create SIP Extension, assign a number, secret, and enable VM if desired. Save/Apply Config Changes, and you should be good.
 

MGD4me

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I am confident that the VOIP quality will be very good...if I can get it to work.

Thank you for my morning smile. Well said!

Whether you can get it to work, will depend on many factors. In the early days it used to be said that once an analogue voice signal was quantised and converted to a digital, then it was "just data" and would ride along just like all the rest of the data. Well, sort of, except that it needs to be "high priority" data, for starters. Regular data can accommodate traffic congestion quite easily, since all that is really important is that the data reach the other end in tact. If there is a lot of traffic, then throughput might suffer because of bandwidth limitations, but it still eventually gets through. Unfortunately, voice conversations don't really take kindly to pauses, and constantly broken up speech. If you have adequate bandwidth, and can give your voip traffic priority over all other data, then you do stand a chance.

You should do a speed test over the links, since you mentioned that there could be up to 3 hops involved. In the absence of having your own speed test servers, transferring something like a 10 MB file should give you a sense of how the network is performing, both during quite times, and when there is a more normal load on the system.

What kind of radio equipment makes up your mesh? Does each node have dual radios, or single (as in repeater mode). This could also have an influence in your overall voice quality. And finally, what does the topology look like? Will each residence (I presume) become part of one big LAN, or each have their own sub-nets? How many nodes, etc, and might it grow larger?

A few more details will certainly help us point you in the right direction, I'm sure. Don't be bashful. ;o)
 

jroper

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Hi

As james pointed out, some years ago, I was involved in mesh networking. However, if you have not got any internet access, you might find that the interface is slow / unusable, which I think is caused by various components of the interface being downloaded from Schmooze.

Do check by pulling the LAN cable that the interface will be useable, otherwise you might have to take a 3G router every time you want to make a change to the settings.

Joe
 

CharlesAsh

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Thanks for the wonderfully helpful feedback everybody, greatly appreciated. Ok, here are the details. My company has developed a solar wifi mesh network appliance - www.solarwifimesh.com which makes setting up large-scale mesh networks a breeze. The units are 802.11n and have a single radio. The server that will host the PIAF installation will be connected directly to a router connecting one of the mesh nodes (as centrally in the topology as possible to minimise hops.

The cloud-management software for the mesh routers allows for port prioritisation, so I'll make sure that the VOIP ports have the highest priority (what ports should I be prioritising by the way).

The current deployment we are funding ourselves, but what we are ultimately hoping to create is a simple, easy-to-deploy solution which will include solarwifimesh routers, PIAF server and pre-configured handsets which can be used on various remote construction sites and mines around Africa. At best, some of the sites will make use of VSAT (satellite) for Internet backhaul on the mesh, but for the most part, the VOIP communication is to be self-contained on the local wifi network.

Our plans with SolarwifiMesh.com is to provide the simplest, idiot-proof way to deploy a mesh network in areas where there is no infrastructure, no reliable power supply and thus, allow these remote communities to become part of the telecommunications revolution.

Thank you all for your input.
 

phonebuff

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My apologies to Ward an company -- But why are you using PBXinaFlash, or any ISO for that matter.. It is probably a great lab machine, but I believe you will be much better happier with a stripped down Asterisk box and hand coded dial plan than an ISO build with all of it's overhead and phone home requirements based on your description of your target deployments.

==== On a different note, this looks like an interesting device / tool that might be appropriate in a disaster response kit. But from looking at your web site I can't tell if you have a product or a concept, and no clue on pricing. Feel free to PM me with what I might have missed.

======================
 

CharlesAsh

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Thanks for the response phonebuff. Not having any experience with Asterisk, the PIAF project seems like a perfect fit primarily because it comes with so many configuration options. While we have specific deployment cases in mind, we would like to offer clients some kind of flexibility with the offering so that they can enable various other features which they may require, without us having to split atoms and do intricate "make install" processes at remote locations.

The devices we've built for SolarWifiMesh are very real, the reason we haven't posted any photos is because we're redesigning the casing and once the new casing is delivered, then we'll be enabling the e-commerce store. The devices will retail for $550 each. This will include the battery; mesh router; 9dbi antenna; waterproof/weatherproof casing; power supply unit with a USB port for powering devices like a Raspberry Pi or any other similar class device and of course, the solar panel and unlimited access to the cloud control panel.

Adding devices to your mesh is simply a matter of adding the unique code on your device to the cloud control-panel. Once the devices are powered on, at least one of them will need to be connected to the Internet (ethernet port). This will download the configuration from the cloud control panel and share the configuration with all other authorised devices that form part of the mesh. The mesh uses Batman-Adv, so it's based on a some pretty solid open-source technology as well. Growing your mesh is simply a case of ordering more devices, adding them to the cloud control panel and then deploying them where you need to extend the range. Any node that has an Internet connection will become a gateway node and route traffic to the web automatically. The nodes will form a VPN to allow for seamless roaming within the mesh, even with different gateways connected to different backhaul systems eg. ADSL or Wimax or LTE or 3G...the Internet connection type is irrelevant to the operation of the mesh.

What we're currently working on is a large-scale test case deployment with practical applications (Voip and IP camera surveillance).
 

tbrummell

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TNot having any experience with Asterisk, the PIAF project seems like a perfect fit primarily because it comes with so many configuration options./quote]
The PIAF/FreePBX GUI and other components *need* Internet access to operate properly.

The concept sounds cool, but you'll be pissed at the product when it's running without Internet access.
 

rossiv

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The PIAF/FreePBX GUI and other components *need* Internet access to operate properly.

The concept sounds cool, but you'll be pissed at the product when it's running without Internet access.

Everything *should* work as long as you configure it properly without internet. I didn't have any issues when I did it about a year ago.
Off of the top of my head, here's what I recall needing to turn off so the box works w/o internet.
  • Remove RSS feed from "Menu Config" on Kennonsoft Menu (does not apply to RasPi/BBB)
  • Remove any hostnames from trunk configurations and replace with IP addresses if needed; If trunks not needed, disable them.
  • Set local network appropriately in Asterisk SIP Settings
  • Point phones at IP address not hostname (unless using local DNS server provided via DHCP)
I know I'm probably forgetting something here. Of course, updates in FreePBX, update-fixes, update-source, etc. won't work unless you have internet.
 
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I thought Asterisk had a long-standing bug where it gets VERY unhappy if it can't talk to a DNS server - even if it doesn't need to resolve anything. Seems like there are some tutorials around that show how to install BIND on an Asterisk server to get around this very problem.
 
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As phonebuff mentioned, you are probably going to be happier in the long run building your own Asterisk server. For what you are doing (setting up SIP extensions only), configuring Asterisk via files is simple, and could probably even be automated. Download the Asterisk book. After you read it, you'll have Asterisk up and running in minutes.
 

tm1000

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I thought Asterisk had a long-standing bug where it gets VERY unhappy if it can't talk to a DNS server - even if it doesn't need to resolve anything.

That is incorrect. See Lorne's quoted reply below.

More specifically, the bug is in the chan_sip driver and comes in to play for most people who have SIP trunks defined by FQDN that don't resolve. Eliminate either SIP trunks or FQDNs and the issue goes away. Tho I haven't tested, the new PJSIP channel driver in Asterisk 12 should have fixed this issue once and for all.

You nailed it on the head. PJSIP has threaded DNS lookup so it won't halt Asterisk while looking up requests essentially solving the problem.
 

MGD4me

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The concern over possible multiple internet access probably doesn't come under the microscope, as the OP stated in his opening remarks: "The network is in a rural area and will not have any Internet backhaul access whatsoever". However, FQDNs (if used) would still need access to a DNS on the LAN. So, I'm guessing the only trunks, if any, would be intra-net only.
 

MGD4me

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Any node that has an Internet connection will become a gateway node and route traffic to the web automatically.

I saw that too, but was under the assumption that this statement was 'marketing speak' for other general applications.

Now that you point it out again, I probably mis-read the intent. So now I'm unclear whether the mesh requires an internet connection, at least for initial setup and system configuration, or not. I need another beer, to see if that helps!! Ahhh...
 

wa4zlw

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HI there! I have dealt with fixed wireless broadband. single radio mesh doesnt work. You MUST have multiple radios per AP one for the backhaul and one for local connections at a minimum. I'm not a mesh guru but I worked for a WISP years ago and they tried to mesh with single channel radios and it died a death.

Regarding voice and data, you need to make sure QOS is applied to the voice traffic (whether wired or wireless) and try and VLAN the voice and data to keep them separate over the same ether.

HTH

Leon
 

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