On 4/19/2022 5:27 PM, John Levine wrote:
> On a phone pole near my house someone recently installed something related
> to mobile phones but I can't tell what it is:
>
>
https://photos.app.goo.gl/uPHi64SVJX9nNv7u9
>
> The box in the first picture has a MAC and an IMEI so it may be some
> sort of mobile router. The blue light frequently flashes. In the
> second picture you can see labels WAN1, WAN2/DIV, GPS, 2.4GHZ and NAN.
> In the third picture you can see a small antenna up on the pole, to
> the left of the transformer.
>
> I happen to know that this pole also has Spectrum cable and phone
> company copper and fiber, so it's not like there's any shortage of
> communication options. The phone company central office is two
> blocks away so it seems too close to be a telco repeater.
>
> Any ideas?
The box was made by Silver Spring Networks, a subsidiary of Itron,
which makes power meters. (The MAC address gives it away; you can look
those up on Wireshark's web site.) So this is probably a collection
device for wireless power meters, like the ones Itron makes that use
the 902 MHz band. It also may be used in a "smart grid", and may be
able to manage certain home devices. The 2.4 GHz capability may be
latent, intended for future home device applications.
--
Fred R. Goldstein k1io fred "at"
ionary.com
+1 617 795 2701