Gateway Architecture

Gateways are the point(s) in an Althea network that peer out to the internet. They consist of a fast, wholesale, internet backhaul connection, a firewall, an Althea router configured in gateway mode, a PoE switch, and a combination of PtP radios for linking out to distributed relays, and PtmP sector antennas for connecting any customers in the immediately surrounding the gateway. In an Althea network it is better to have more gateways, rather than faster gateways (i.e. better to have 2 gateways with a 1gig fiber connection than 1 gateway with a 2gig fiber connection), to allow for redundancy and to create a larger number of cheaper and faster routes through the mesh network.

This article will cover the physical location requirements, typical hardware we use for our gateways, the purpose each device serves, how and how they connect together.

Head End Network Architecture

Choosing Your Gateways Location

The gateway of your network is the most critical component of your network (for obvious reasons). This means that when choosing the location to build your gateway takes a certain amount of strategic planning. There are a few critical requirements that must be met for your gateways location:

1. The building / property where your gateway is located must be a stable location – i.e. if you do not own the property yourself, you need to have a significant degree of trust in the property owner that they won’t up and decide they no longer wish to host your equipment, or sell the property, etc.
2. There must be sufficient space for a wall-mounted or free standing server rack and/or any wall mountable equipment, as well as have sufficient airflow / cooling so that your equipment does not overheat.
3. If your gateway location is in an inclusive residential community, governed by an HOA (Home Owners Association), you want to assure it does not violate any HOA rules (or otherwise apply for express permission) to mount external radio equipment on the home or freestanding tower.
4. The location of your gateway must pre-qualify for your DIA (e.g. fiber, fixed wireless, etc.).
5. The location must already have (or be feasible to build) a secure locked room that you can gain 24x7 access to your equipment in the event of any sort of outage / hardware failure / system upgrades / etc.
6. The gateway must be in a location with either nearby customers, or the ability to deploy nearby relays that can reach your customer base.

Once you have found a location that meets these requirements (in technical parlance referred to as an MDF/IDF – Main Distribution Frame / Intermediate Distribution Frame) you need to get the space where your equipment will be located up to spec – ensuring sufficient space, cooling, and secure access. Then you will want to move on to planning any needed electrical work that might need to be done, and where and how your ethernet cables will be run from the gateway equipment to the external radio equipment.

The photos here are a good reference for what your MDF facility should look like:

Althea Gateway Network Topology