The Clallam County Mesh is an implementation of the Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN).
AREDN is a "private" regional internet designed to provide internet like communications to a
small region when the Internet is unavailable.
The Mesh connects multiple locations using inexpensive Wi-Fi equipment. It is operated under
Ham radio licensing. See https://arednmesh.org
Ubiquiti brand Wi-Fi radios and antennas are used to form the mesh. These radios are commonly
used by Internet Service Providers and can link locations many miles apart as long as the
radios are "line-of-sight."
The mesh is a form of "ad hoc" mesh network. This means that if one radio can talk to another
radio, they will automatically form a network link between them. If a third radio can also
talk to either of the other radios, it too will join the network with automatic links. This
can be expanded to many radios at many locations. Each location is called a "node".
A data network only provides a link between one location and another. Such a network has
little value until a computer is attached that provides a "service". Typical services
provided by a network might include web-sites, chat services, email, VOIP phone services,
etc. It is common that one or more of these types of servers are attached to an AREDN network.
There are many AREDN networks in areas of the world, with a significant number of them
located in the United States. Most if not all of these have some type(s) of server(s)
connected to them to provide communications functionality.
However, when a disaster strikes, it is possible that the mesh network gets broken. If a
server is located on a node where links to that node fail because of damage inflicted by
the disaster, then, of course, the services provided by that server are unavailable.
To alleviate this problem, one could add redundant servers at other locations.
What makes the Clallam County Mesh unique is that every node has a
fully redundant selection of
services provided by an inexpensive Raspberry Pi computer. Every node therefore has
the servers required to provide all services. The loss of any node
or nodes during a disaster event does not reduce the available services to the remaining
mesh network.
In addition, even if the node cannot connect to any other node, the local Raspberry Pi
computer still provides all services to the local area via its Wi-Fi access point.
This gives you a reference web-site, a blog site, a chat system and an email
system that can be used by personnel local to that node. You will also have a history
of prior emails and voice mail.