Architecture (example Bangui â Damara â Ombella)
- PtP 5 GHz radios (23â27 dBi) ~30â40 km LoS per hop.
- OpenWrt/MikroTik routers (QoS, VLAN, WireGuard VPN).
- Mini-server (RPi/mini-PC): doc cache, local messaging, LuckyBlock bundle import/export.
- Sites B/C/D on 250â300 Wc solar + 150â200 Ah battery.
- Masts 6â12 m, weatherproof boxes, surge protection, grounding.
Reference budget (4 sites) â â¬4,240 hardware (6 radios, 4 routers, 4 RPis, 3 solar kits, masts, cables), excluding labor.
Logical layout A/B/C/D (Bangui â Damara â Ombella)
[ Site A â Bangui (hill house) ]
Role: main node, potential Internet/4G uplink.
L1 ~35 km (PtP 5 GHz)
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v
[ Site B â Intermediate hill relay BanguiâDamara ]
Role: cut the long distance into two comfortable hops.
L2 ~35 km (PtP 5 GHz)
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v
[ Site C â Damara (town hall / public building) ]
Role: central political node, relay toward Ombella-Bord.
L3 ~25â30 km (PtP 5 GHz)
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v
[ Site D â Ombella-Bord (N12 Ombella) ]
Role: bridgehead to river installations, future extension Umba/Boali/Sibut.
- Each link (L1, L2, L3) ⤠35â40 km to stay within low-cost radio capacity.
- Bangui hill is key to clear the first hop horizon.
- Damara and Ombella-Bord use small heights to clear canopy/terrain.
Roles by site
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Site A â Bangui (hill):
- 1 PtP 5 GHz radio to Site B (~â¬120).
- 1 router (OpenWrt/MikroTik) (~â¬80).
- 1 Raspberry Pi 4 or mini-PC (~â¬100).
- Cabling, surge, mounts (~â¬100).
- Power: 220 V mains + simple UPS.
- Acts as Internet gateway (4G/VSAT) and main âMayorsâ Assemblyâ node.
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Site B â Intermediate hill relay:
- 2 PtP 5 GHz radios (to A and C) â 2 â¬120 = â¬240.
- 1 router (manages both links + VPN) (~â¬80).
- 1 Raspberry Pi 4 (local messaging + logs) (~â¬100).
- Solar kit: 250â300 Wc panel, 12 V 150â200 Ah battery, MPPT (â â¬600).
- 6â12 m mast + mounts (~â¬200).
- Weatherproof box, cables, surge (~â¬100).
- Subtotal â â¬1,320 â 870,000 FCFA.
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Site C â Damara (town hall / public building):
- 2 PtP 5 GHz radios (to B and D) â â¬240.
- 1 local WiâFi AP (square/town hall) (~â¬50â70).
- 1 router (~â¬80).
- 1 Raspberry Pi 4 (âmayorsâ networkâ server) (~â¬100).
- Full solar kit (â â¬600).
- Mast or existing structure (~â¬200).
- Cables, box, surge (~â¬100).
- Subtotal â â¬1,320 â 870,000 FCFA.
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Site D â Ombella-Bord (N12 Ombella):
- 1 PtP 5 GHz radio to C (~â¬120).
- 1 router (~â¬80).
- 1 Raspberry Pi 4 (~â¬100).
- Full solar kit (â â¬600).
- Mast (~â¬200).
- Cables, box, surge (~â¬100).
- Subtotal â â¬1,200 â 785,000 FCFA.
Global hardware recap (Bangui â Damara â Ombella-Bord):
- PtP radios: 6 units â â â¬720.
- Routers: 4 â â â¬320.
- Raspberry Pi: 4 â â â¬400.
- Solar kits (B, C, D): 3 â â â¬1,800.
- Masts (B, C, D): 3 â â â¬600.
- Misc (cables, boxes, surge, etc.): â â¬400.
- Total hardware â â¬4,240 â ~2,780,000 FCFA. With transport + labor + local margin, target 4â5 million FCFA for 4 clean, autonomous, secured sites.
Main uses
- Provide a backbone between distant communes (country, prefectures, main communes).
- Act as Internet gateway (VSAT/4G) with quotas, LuckyBlock bundle import/export.
- Support traffic of V1/V2/V3 vectors (USB/SD, MANET, K/H/S stations).
- Base for OBBDW drone corridors: each site can host a drone buffer box + takeoff/landing area.
- Offer 56k / âslow Internetâ to a few households around town halls for messaging, light docs, admin services.
Software & crypto (Mayorsâ Network)
- WireGuard VPN:
- Encrypted tunnel between sites A/B/C/D.
- Allows switching from radio transport (HFH) to physical (DW) without changing app logic.
- Internal messaging (lightweight Matrix/XMPP):
- Text, small attachments, âMayorsâ Assemblyâ groups.
- Works even if the global Internet is down, as long as the backbone holds.
- Storage/sharing: Nextcloud Pi or Syncthing for laws, forms, documents.
- Identities & signatures:
- Each mayor has a public key managed by the local station.
- Resolutions and votes are signed and verifiable.
- The Bangui server only relays; it cannot alter votes.
- Monitoring (optional): light Grafana + Prometheus for uptime, battery voltage, radio link quality.
Possible network name: âMayorsâ Assembly â Ombella Networkâ. Each town hall is a sovereign peer in this federation.
Energy topology
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Site A â Bangui:
- Grid 220 V + UPS. To do small inverter if needed.
- To do Surge protection + grounding.
-
Site B â Hill relay:
- Solar 250â300 Wc, 12 V 150â200 Ah, MPPT.
- To do Cable gauge + fuses + lightning arrestor.
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Site C â Damara:
- Solar kit similar to B.
- To do AC/DC split (router vs. AP).
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Site D â Ombella-Bord:
- Solar kit similar to B/C.
- To do Battery enclosure, airflow.