## 2 Hardware Components
Moreover, spectral efficiency is optimized by reducing contention and overlap between users [25]. The 802.11 ax standard describes several new and exciting features, but a lot is left to the devices implementing it. The number of spatial streams supported is product related, and so is the support for simultaneous dual-band operation (at 2.4 and 5 GHz) and station band steering, to name a few. The AirEngine 8760R-X1E [26], a WiFi 6 compliant outdoor (IP68 certified) AP, is included in our filed deployable communications system. It has an 8 \(\times\) 8 multi-user MIMO capability thanks to its eight external removable omnidirectional antennas and utilizes three standalone physical radios that allow multiband operation and station segmentation over different wireless networks. Complementary to the radio capabilities are the device's software features. An extensive Management Information Base (MIB) is provided that makes accessible a multitude of information per station device and permits the configuration of wireless multimedia extension parameters of the stations, which can be leveraged to provide programmable Quality of Service over the wireless network. Central communication nodeThe INGENIOUS communications toolkit includes multiple devices offering various types of communication service. In order to have an integrated and easy-to-use system, those components must be interconnected and combined into a single solution. The central communication node provides the necessary power to the rest of the equipment through PoE capable ports and handles the routing of the network traffic. As a result, a single cable connection per component is needed, both for power and data, while the creation of a custom enclosure that includes both the PoE injectors and the routing device adds to the ease of use of the system. The custom designed and 3D printed enclosure can be seen in Figure 2(a). Figure 2(b) presents the internals of the central communication node. Moving from left to right, there is a fan, the 4G modem, the fanless industrial pc used for the routing, three PoE injectors, and another fan. The WLAN is expected to produce large volumes of network traffic. Therefore, the device handling the routing must have the necessary computational power for the task. Running open-source software is a must to allow for customization, integration of all the different hardware and software components, and avoidance of vendor lock. Our communication system has four WAN interfaces and one WLAN interface, leading to the need for at least five Ethernet ports to accommodate the aforementioned interfaces. Figure 3: **(a)** 3D view of the central communication node. **(b)** View of the interior of the central communication node. The 4G module, the fanless industrial PC, and the three PoE injectors can be seen moving from left to right. To meet those specifications, the Protecli Vault 6 Port [27] is used. It is powered by an Intel i5 CPU, can utilize up to 64 GB of RAM, provides six Ethernet ports, and can host the Linux operating system. The software running inside manages the network and decides how to route traffic based on the available interfaces.