About the network
Ironwood covers about 28 blocks of Birmingham’s east side, mostly single-story houses and duplexes. The network was built by a housing cooperative’s board after the branch library cut its opening hours and its computer lab with them.
Schematic
Uptime
99.98% uptime over the last 90 days, with 1 day of degraded service or maintenance.
Governance
- Owned by
- Ironwood Community Network Cooperative
- Legal home
- Community land trust program
- Members
- 1,016 households, one vote each
- Monthly assembly
- Third Saturday of each month, 2:00 pm, at the community health center’s meeting room
- Annual assembly
- Every December
- Maintenance fund
- $9 a month per household, suggested. No household is disconnected for not paying.
Stewards
Elected by the members. Listed by first name and initial.
- Hyun A.Network steward · since 2019
- Chen W.Treasurer · since 2025
- José H.Membership steward · since 2021
- Wendell P.Training steward · since 2024
Backhaul
Links that carry the network’s traffic to the wider internet.
| Link | Medium | Capacity | Far end | Peak use yesterday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LT-30-BH1 | Fiber | 10 Gbps | Birmingham internet exchange | 16% |
| LT-30-BH2 | Licensed microwave, 11 GHz | 2 Gbps | Tower site, Birmingham | 23% |
| LT-30-BH3 | Fiber, donated by the library system | 1 Gbps | Public library network | 23% |
Maintenance log
Firmware 4.6.2 rollout. Staged firmware rollout to every node, one hub’s area at a time. Each node restarted once.
Cable to N-1231 replaced; squirrels again.
Planned backhaul work. Done overnight. Members were told a week ahead at the monthly assembly.
Annual assembly: 45 members attended and elected four stewards.
Hardware refresh: 25 nodes upgraded to Stoop R6 over the year.
Storm damage: 7 dishes realigned and one mast replaced.
Grounding on N-1265 redone after an inspection found a corroded lug.
New hub on the public housing tower roof, under a housing authority agreement: N-3152.
Battery modules replaced at 5 hubs ahead of winter.
Expansion: three new nodes in 2024, mostly in grids A3, B4 and G5.
Mount on N-1240 re-secured after the host reported a loose mast.
Dish on N-1293 re-aimed after a neighbor’s new extension blocked the path.
Expansion: three new nodes in 2023, mostly in grids D3, F2 and H4.
Climbing safety refresher: 22 installers recertified.
Maintenance fund audit presented to members and approved.
N-1239 moved to the other side of the roof to clear a new air-conditioning unit.
Hardware refresh: 21 nodes upgraded to Stoop R5 over the year.
Expansion: three new nodes in 2022, mostly in grids C4, D4 and G1.
New hub on the union hall roof: N-2098.
Firmware 4.0 rolled out to every node.
Network switched on: 27 nodes installed by 59 volunteers over a weekend.
Founding assembly: the Ironwood Community Network Cooperative adopts its charter and elects four stewards.