Overview
Custom wireless router stack designed for film sets where director monitors, camera telemetry, and crew tools must coexist without stepping on each other. Built for rapid setup, clean segmentation, and reliable throughput.
Problem
Built while working on larger sets, where I saw firsthand how badly on-set networking was handled. Typical setups devolve into a single flat Wi‑Fi with unpredictable performance — video village traffic competes with camera telemetry, script tools, wireless sound transmitters, and crew devices, leading to dropped streams and unreliable monitoring. I built this to fix it for myself and the productions I was working on.
Network Design
- Segmented VLANs to isolate video village, camera control, and general crew access.
- Mesh-based Wi‑Fi nodes for flexible coverage across locations.
- Dedicated SSIDs mapped to VLANs for predictable access control.
Key Features
- Stable director monitoring with prioritized bandwidth.
- Separate lane for camera telemetry and control signals.
- Secure crew access for docs, call sheets, and comms.
- Every crew member connects their personal device to the network, turning it into a one-stop shop for on-set communications. Anyone can reach anyone else on set through a custom web app running over the local network, no cell service required.
- Portable, low‑footprint deployment for quick turnaround days.
Automation & Ops
- Preconfigured profiles for different crew sizes and locations.
- Automated conflict checks and simple health indicators.
- Logging for troubleshooting RF or device issues mid‑shoot.
Challenges
- RF congestion and unpredictable venue interference.
- Mixed device capabilities and ad‑hoc hardware add‑ons.
- Balancing reliable video transport with low‑latency control traffic.
Outcome
Provided stable, segmented networking for video village and camera control, reducing dropouts and simplifying on‑set setup for small and mid‑size productions.
Stack
OpenWRT, VLAN segmentation, PoE power distribution, custom provisioning scripts.
Next Steps
- Real-time spectrum analysis integrated directly into the network dashboard, so anyone on set who needs to care about RF coordination (sound mixer, video village, camera department) can see live spectrum scans from a single centralized place rather than relying on separate handheld analyzers.
- Convert the crew communications tool from a web app to a native app, so crew members can receive real push notifications on their personal phones rather than having to keep a browser tab open.