haven-manet-ip-mesh-radio

Haven MANET IP Mesh Radio

Build decentralized, long-range mesh networks with Haven — a complete open-source solution for creating self-healing IP networks that share internet access across kilometers without any central infrastructure.

[!TIP] Get on the air: flash the correct firmware for your platform, then the setup guide. Haven 1 / Pi 4: use OpenMANET. Haven 2 / Pi 5: use the Pi 5 OpenWrt/Morse firmware. Find a node: Finding & accessing nodes. Print a case (100% free): Enclosures or Haven case on Printables. Build help & community: Haven Guide (videos, schematics, Discord, support).

What is Haven?

Haven is a mesh networking platform that combines:

• HaLow radios (802.11ah) operating in sub-1GHz spectrum for multi-kilometer range
• BATMAN-adv for automatic Layer 2 mesh routing
• OpenWrt-based firmware for reliable embedded networking: OpenMANET on Haven 1 / Pi 4, and the Pi 5 OpenWrt/Morse image on Haven 2
• USB sidecar support for LoRa radios, RTL-SDR, and other peripherals
• Optional ADS-B to CoT for aircraft tracking in TAK
• Optional Reticulum for encrypted overlay communications
• Optional ATAK/CivTAK integration for situational awareness

Why Haven?

Feature	Benefit
Decentralized	No central server, no single point of failure
Long Range	1-10+ km node-to-node with HaLow radios
Self-Healing	Automatic route discovery and failover
Internet Sharing	One uplink serves the entire mesh
Fully Open Source	No proprietary lock-in, audit everything
Multi-hop	Traffic routes through intermediate nodes
Low Power	Sub-1GHz radios are power efficient
Expandable	USB peripherals: LoRa sidecars, SDR, cellular

Hardware

Haven runs on two platforms. Both use the same mesh protocol and interoperate fully.

Haven 1 (Raspberry Pi 4 / CM4) — Recommended

The current recommended platform. Proven stable in the field.

• SBC: Raspberry Pi 4 Model B or Compute Module 4
• HaLow Radio: Morse Micro MM601X (SPI HAT)
• 2.4GHz WiFi: RT5370 USB adapter (Panda Wireless or similar)
• Platform details: Pi 4 notes

Haven 2 (Raspberry Pi 5) — Experimental

USB-attached HaLow radio with a flexible USB peripheral bus. Still being validated — not yet recommended for production deployments.

• SBC: Raspberry Pi 5 (4GB or 8GB)
• HaLow Radio: Morse Micro MM8108 (USB)
• 2.4GHz WiFi: RT5370 USB adapter (Panda Wireless or similar)
• USB Hub: Recommended for additional peripherals
• Firmware: Requires the Pi 5-specific OpenWrt/Morse image, not the Haven 1 / Pi 4 OpenMANET image. Build it from buildwithparallel/openwrt-morse-rpi5, or download the prebuilt v0.3.0-alpha release.
• Platform details: Pi 5 notes

Haven Nodes

Haven nodes are compact, rugged units built for field deployment. Each node includes HaLow (sub-1GHz) and WiFi radios, USB and power ports, and versatile mounting (GoPro-style bracket and bolt holes).

Handheld	Vehicle deployment	Ports and mounting

Enclosures

The official Haven case for Raspberry Pi-based MANET on Printables is 100% free — public domain: no cost to download, and you may print, modify, and share without restriction. Enclosure design: MOROSX.

• Download the Haven case (Printables) — STLs and part notes are on that page
• The Haven Guide also places the case in the full build (radios, power, mounting, etc.)

Network Architecture

flowchart TB
  Internet((Internet / WAN)) -->|uplink| G["Haven GATE — eth0, HaLow mesh, WiFi APs, br-ahwlan, DHCP"]
  G ---|"802.11ah sub-1 GHz (typ. 1-10+ km)"| P["Haven POINT — HaLow mesh, WiFi APs, br-ahwlan 10.41.x.x/16"]
  P --> C((Phones, laptops, ATAK))
  P -.-|"USB sidecar (optional)"| L((LoRa / Reticulum))
  G -.-|"RTL-SDR (optional)"| A((ADS-B aircraft tracking))

Quick Start

All Haven setup scripts assume each node is flashed with fresh firmware for its hardware. Haven 1 / Raspberry Pi 4 or CM4 nodes use OpenMANET. Haven 2 / Raspberry Pi 5 nodes require the Pi 5-specific OpenWrt/Morse firmware built from buildwithparallel/openwrt-morse-rpi5, or downloaded from the v0.3.0-alpha release. Do not flash the Haven 1 / Pi 4 OpenMANET image onto a Haven 2 / Pi 5 node.

Flash the image onto a microSD card using Raspberry Pi Imager, insert it into the node, and power on. If the card still looks like it has old data after flashing, use Raspberry Pi Imager's Erase (or SD format/erase utility) on the card first, then write the image.

Step	What	How
1	Set up the Gate node	Flash platform firmware → run first-boot / mesh wizard → plug into router → SSH in → run setup script → Setup Guide
2	Add Point nodes	Plug into laptop, paste setup script → Setup Guide
3	ADS-B to CoT (optional)	Aircraft tracking in TAK via RTL-SDR → ADS-B
4	Reticulum (optional)	Apps on your phone/laptop (Sideband, MeshChat) on Haven WiFi → Reticulum
5	ATAK Bridge (optional)	Situational awareness → ATAK
6	LoRa sidecar (optional)	USB LoRa MCU for Reticulum → Tested devices

After any step, use LuCI's web interface to change passwords, WiFi SSIDs, and other settings. See Finding & Accessing Nodes to reach each node.

[!CAUTION] The defaults below are for first boot only. Change the root password and WiFi credentials in LuCI before you rely on this in the field.

Node	Password	WiFi SSID	WiFi Password
Gate (green)	havengreen	green	greengreen
Point (blue)	havenblue	blue	blueblue

Documentation

Document	What it covers
Docs home (sitemap)	Where everything lives: getting started, reference, runbooks, advanced
Setup Guide	Step-by-step: gate setup, point nodes, Reticulum, ATAK
Finding & Accessing Nodes	How to find node IPs and reach LuCI
Pi 5 Notes	Haven 2 platform specifics, known issues, fixes
Pi 4 Notes	Haven 1 platform specifics
Tested USB Devices	LoRa boards, WiFi adapters, SDR — tested and working
OpenWrt Build Packages	Recommended packages for custom firmware builds
HaLow Reference	Radio specs, channel widths, MCS tables, software versions
Troubleshooting	Mental model, diagnostics, fix checklists
Range Optimization	Antenna selection, TX power, channel width tuning
Reticulum	Encrypted overlay communications
ATAK Bridge	ATAK/CivTAK situational awareness over Reticulum
ADS-B to CoT	Aircraft tracking in TAK via RTL-SDR
Scripts	Script reference and Reticulum demo tools
AI Agents	Context for AI agents (Claude, Cursor, etc.) to diagnose and fix your mesh

Use Cases

• Disaster Response: Deploy mesh networks where infrastructure is damaged
• Remote Operations: Connect sites across kilometers without internet
• Events: Temporary networks for large gatherings
• Maritime: Ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communications
• Agriculture: Connect sensors and equipment across large properties
• Community Networks: Neighborhood internet sharing

Security

Layer	Protection
HaLow Mesh	WPA3 SAE (CCMP) - strongest WiFi encryption
Reticulum	Curve25519 + AES-128 end-to-end encryption
ATAK	Optional additional encryption

Support & Community

• Haven Guide - Complete build guide with videos
• Discord - Join the community (link in Haven Guide)
• Direct Support - Available through Parallel

Contributing

Contributions welcome. Examples:

• Hardware compatibility testing
• Documentation improvements
• Bug fixes and features
• New use case write-ups

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file.

Acknowledgments

• OpenMANET - Mesh networking firmware
• Reticulum by Mark Qvist
• ATAK by TAK Product Center
• Morse Micro - HaLow radio technology
• OpenWrt Project
• MOROSX - Haven enclosure design
• BATMAN-adv mesh protocol