Battlemesh v17
- Dates: Tuesday 2025-06-10 to Tuesday 2025-06-16
The Wireless Battle Mesh is a non-commercial, volunteer-organized annual convention.
The convention features a variety of talks and workshops on technical and political issues related to mesh networking, wireless community networks and Openwrt firmware development.
The purpose of the event is to further topics such as right to connectivity, community-owned infrastructure and related free open source projects.
Contents
Where
The Battlemesh v17 will take place in Sundhausen, Thüringen, Germany. Sundhausen is a small village, providing an established mesh network. The network is build by Evernet.
Location of the main event
How to get there
By Public Transport
Train:
Long-Distance Connections: Travel by ICE/IC to Erfurt, a central hub reachable from major cities such as Berlin or Frankfurt.
Regional Train to Bad Langensalza: from Erfurt in ~30 min, transfer to a regional train to Bad Langensalza.
Shuttle Services: We are organizing shuttles from Bad Langensalza to Sundhausen. Details will be provided soon.
Regional Buses:
- Local buses may connect Bad Langensalza with Sundhausen, but services may be limited. Please check schedules in advance.
By Plane
If you are flying, two major airports offer convenient options:
Frankfurt Airport (FRA):
- A major international hub approximately 250 km (155 miles) from Sundhausen.
- Take an ICE/IC train to Erfurt, then transfer to a regional train for Bad Langensalza.
Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER):
- Located about 300 km (186 miles) from Sundhausen, BER offers excellent international and domestic connections.
- From BER, take a train to Erfurt via long-distance services and proceed to Bad Langensalza by regional train.
By Car
From the North (e.g., Göttingen or Kassel):
- Take the A38 motorway and exit toward Leinefelde-Worbis. Follow the B247 to Bad Langensalza and then local roads to Sundhausen.
From the South (e.g., Munich):
- Use the A71 motorway toward Sömmerda, then take the B176 and B247 to Sundhausen.
From the East or West:
- Use the A4 motorway, exiting near Gotha or Eisenach, and follow signs to Bad Langensalza.
Accommodation
Camping
We will have access to a campground, which can be used free of charge. There will be toilets and showers available, but electricity will be limited, so please bring a power bank if needed. It’s also possible to come with a camper van. (Pictures of the campground will be shared soon.)
Bed&Breakfast
For those preferring indoor accommodation, a few apartments are available in Sundhausen and nearby villages. The number of beds is limited, so if you're interested, please contact the Orga Team as soon as possible.
Other Options
Additionally, there is a small hotel in the next town for those looking for more comfort. Please contact the Orga Team for that, too!
Weather Conditions
In June, Sundhausen experiences mild to warm temperatures, typically ranging from 18°C to 25°C during the day. Nights can be cooler, sometimes dropping to 10°C or lower, so bringing a warm sleeping bag and extra layers is recommended. Rain is possible, with occasional short showers, so a waterproof tent, rain gear, and sturdy shoes are advisable.
Food and Drink supply
There is no supermarket in Sundhausen, and the nearest one is not within walking distance. We are currently evaluating different options to ensure everyone has access to food:
- Catering – We are looking into meal options, ranging from individual meals to full board, depending on the cost and available sponsorship. Dietary preferences such as vegetarian, vegan, or allergy-related restrictions should be noted during registration to be taken into account in the planning.
- Mobile Grocery Store – A “rollender Supermarkt” (mobile grocery store) regularly visits the village. We are in contact with the provider to see if additional visits can be arranged during the event.
We also plan to provide non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks, but these must be paid for by participants.
More details will follow as plans are finalized.
Registering
Add yourself to the participants list. If you'd rather not have your name there, please send an email to the organization team with the same information displayed on the participants list.
The event is free of charge and open for all.
What we do
In brief: we will have organized talks, workshops and discussion panels on community networks and wireless mesh networks (see Call for Participation). There will also be more informal activities: cooperative hacking, self-organized projects, and (we hope) delightful conversations!
Full schedule: #Talk_Schedule_and_Workshops
In addition, there may be a self-organized wireless mesh network, running different routing protocols to compare them. Please coordinate directly on the battlemesh mailing list to make that happen.
Call for participation
We invite participants to propose workshops, talks, or panel discussions related to network infrastructure in general: how it can be built and operated as a common good, and how to sustain a community around networking.
We welcome contributions that broadly address these questions from various perspectives: technical, organisational, economical, regulatory, juridical, or political. Example topics:
- 🌍 Wireless Community Networks
- 🏡 Community Networks that deploy Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) networks
- 🛠️ Free hardware and free software for Community Networks
- 🤝 How to organize a durable community structure?
- 🧑🤝🧑 How to involve non-technical people? To "digital stewardship" and beyond?
- 📢 How to disseminate the spirit of community networks, knowledge, etc.?
- 🌾 Connecting rural areas: challenges and solutions
- 🚀 How to take advantage of a community network in ways otherwise not possible? What are the applications?
- 🔗 Local Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) as a common infrastructure
- 🌐 DNS as a common infrastructure?
- 🔒 Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) testbeds
Deadline: --TBA--
We will provide a dedicated submission platform in due time. Until then, we invite you to add your ideas to the following table:
Title |
Name |
Duration |
Short Description |
Example Talk |
Alice |
30 min |
A talk about XYZ |
Feel free to add your proposal and join us in shaping Battlemesh v17!
Sponsoring
Battlemesh is a community-driven event, and we rely on donations and sponsorships to make it happen. Your support helps us cover essential costs such as venue expenses, infrastructure, and travel stipends for contributors.
💙 Individual donations: If you’d like to contribute as an individual, please consider donating to the Freifunk fundraising campaign. As a non-profit organization, you will get donation receipts.
🏆 Become a sponsor: If your company or organization is interested in supporting Battlemesh on a larger scale, please reach out to us at battlemeshv17-orga@freifunk.net. Sponsors are mentioned on our website and have the opportunity to present themselves at the event. We’re happy to discuss the details with you!
Sponsors
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* Reudnetz w.V. aus Leipzig * 
Battlemesh v17 Task List
See Task List