Network

Does security cost performance on the arena LAN?

Network — power, management and ranging

Path	Current role
PoE → active splitter → USB-C	Anchor power. This route does not provide Ethernet data or radio-clock sync.
ESP32-C6 Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz)	Wand UDP/control; anchor HTTP management, registration and heartbeat. Separate from UWB channel numbering.
DWM3001C UWB channel 9	Latest recorded SS-TWR multi-poll baseline. Anchors answer the wand; the wand uploads ranges.
Gateway ↔ wand WebSocket	Control, anchor list, approximate TDMA start map and 1 s time references in the checked-in configuration.

Diagnose each path separately

Anchor heartbeats normally arrive every 30 s; OFFLINE means no heartbeat for 60 s, checked every 10 s. The DWM can keep responding during management-link loss. Check reset/uptime, AP/ping, device status, gateway heartbeat and radio ranges independently.

The 10 November DE00 follow-up found no repeated disconnect loop during that observation, with one brief stall. This is a dated result, not a permanent health guarantee.

Venue boundary and provisioning

Keep WPA2 and plan the venue VLAN/AP/wired backbone from actual airtime measurements. Device administration uses the device secret and configured CORS. A source implementation does not establish that venue infrastructure is commissioned.

Local setup UI: device port 80; setup AP at 192.168.4.1 when provisioning. A failed saved anchor connection remains authenticated while retrying. Use an explicit reachable gateway URL when the fallback .209 convention does not fit the installation.

Future TDoA: an actual wired backhaul needs hardware and firmware support. It can transport radio timestamps, but packet delivery time cannot replace hardware timestamping and a common radio-clock model.

Current protocols/ports: docs/NETWORK_AND_PROTOCOLS.md; deployment: docs/DEPLOYMENT.md; anchor evidence: docs/testing/2026-11-11-anchor-hardware-reference.md.

Floor cross prototype

Authenticated /floor_led WebSocket receives 1812-byte LWFL RGB frames for 600 LEDs, cap64/255 and a 2s blackout watchdog. Operator-only layout/test APIs are under /api/arena/floor-leds, preview frames in the authenticated Admin namespace. Protocol, wiring and commissioning.