📄 On This Page
- What is 44Net? — The amateur radio IP block
- What the VPN Actually Does — Tunnels, not magic
- How to Get Connected — Step-by-step
- What It Can / Cannot Be Used For — Rules of the road
- Security & Housekeeping — Keeping your node safe
- Resources & Links — Official sources
What Is 44Net (AMPRNet)?
44Net — also called AMPRNet (AMateur Packet Radio NETwork) — is the nickname for a block of public IPv4 addresses, 44.0.0.0/9 and 44.128.0.0/10, that has been set aside for licensed amateur radio operators since the mid-1980s. Every device connected to it gets a real, globally-routable address that starts with 44.
The network is owned and administered by Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), a non-profit foundation. Its purpose is to let hams experiment with digital networking and internetworking techniques, and to run services for other amateurs — packet BBSs, Winlink gateways, APRS-IS feeds, D-STAR/DMR reflectors, and general TCP/IP experimentation over radio and internet links.
44Net is a reserved slice of ordinary internet address space, set aside for amateur radio digital experimentation.
📋 Quick Reference
| Address blocks | 44.0.0.0/9 and 44.128.0.0/10 |
| Administered by | Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) |
| Established | Mid-1980s |
| Who can use it | Licensed amateur radio operators, non-commercially |
| Cost | No cost for 44Net facilities themselves; you pay only for your own internet access / hardware |
| IPv6 | No IPv6 equivalent currently exists |
| Official portal | portal.ampr.org — request or manage an address allocation |
What the VPN Actually Does
44Net is made of small, scattered pockets of amateur equipment that usually aren't directly connected to one another. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is one of four common ways hams bridge that gap — the others being BGP routing, direct radio links, and plain IP tunnelling. A VPN lets your home computer or router behave, over the ordinary internet, as if it were plugged straight into the 44Net network — authenticated and encrypted for the trip between your gateway and the VPN server.
The easiest on-ramp today is 44Net Connect, ARDC's official, self-service WireGuard-based VPN system. You sign up, it issues you a 44-address, and you import a small configuration file into a WireGuard client.
Only your 44Net-bound traffic should ride the tunnel — your general web browsing keeps using your normal internet connection.
How to Get Connected
The exact steps vary by connection method, but for the common case — a home ham wanting VPN access via 44Net Connect — the path looks like this:
- Hold a valid amateur radio licence. 44Net is for licensed amateurs only; you'll register using your callsign.
- Create a 44Net Connect account at the official self-service portal, connect.44net.cloud. It's WireGuard-based and issues you a 44-address automatically.
- Or request a block manually via the ARDC Portal (portal.ampr.org) if you need your own subnet rather than a single connect address — register with your callsign, choose your country/region, and submit a short request to your area coordinator.
- Install a WireGuard client on your router, computer, or a small gateway device, and import the configuration you're issued.
- Route only 44Net traffic through the tunnel (a "split tunnel") — do not send your default/all-traffic route through it. The VPN is for reaching 44Net, not for general internet access.
- Secure the host at the end of your tunnel — firewall, current software, strong credentials — before you plug it into an internet-facing amateur network.
- Put it to work: reach Winlink gateways, APRS-IS, packet BBSs, D-STAR/DMR reflectors, or host your own experimental service under your 44-address, with an ampr.org DNS name if you want one.
What It Can — and Cannot — Be Used For
44Net rides on top of ordinary internet infrastructure, but the address space itself is licensed for amateur radio purposes only. That comes with real restrictions.
✅ Appropriate Uses
- Amateur radio digital experimentation and networking research
- Non-commercial services for other licensed hams (Winlink, packet BBS, APRS-IS, reflectors, etc.)
- Linking radio-based networks into a wider TCP/IP mesh
- Hosting your own experimental, non-commercial ham-related host or site under your 44-address
- Learning networking, routing, and tunnelling techniques hands-on
🚫 Not Permitted
- General-purpose personal internet access, browsing, or streaming
- Commercial or business use, or any activity for pecuniary gain
- Advertising your 44Net allocation via BGP without ARDC's written permission
- Content that obscures its meaning where the traffic will transit onto amateur RF — check your national licence conditions on encryption
- Illegal content, abuse, spam, or denial-of-service activity
- Use by anyone without a valid, current amateur radio licence
Amateur radio licence conditions differ by country (in Canada: ISED / RIC-3; in the US: FCC Part 97; and so on). This page is a general orientation, not a compliance checklist. If you plan to bridge 44Net traffic onto RF, host services for others, or you're unsure whether a use is compliant, check your national regulator's rules and ARDC's Acceptable Use Policy before proceeding — and when in doubt on anything with legal weight, consult qualified counsel or your national society (e.g. RAC, ARRL).
Security & Housekeeping
🧱 Firewall your node
Any 44Net-connected host is internet-reachable. Treat it like any internet-facing server: firewall it, patch it, and don't expose services you don't intend to run.
🔑 Use strong credentials
WireGuard's keys and any admin logins on your gateway should be strong and kept private, just as you would for any other network gear.
🚦 Split-tunnel only
Route only 44Net-destined traffic (44.0.0.0/9, 44.128.0.0/10) through the VPN. Never set it as your default route.
🏠 Home routers & NAT
Most home routers handle outbound VPN traffic fine, but inbound tunnelled traffic often needs a DMZ host rather than simple port-forwarding — which increases your exposure, so pair it with a firewall.
Resources & Links
- Official — 44Net Home ARDC — 44Net https://www.ardc.net/44net/ The organisation that manages 44Net — background, portal, and connect links.
- Reference — Wiki 44Net Wiki — Frequently Asked Questions https://wiki.ampr.org/wiki/FAQ The authoritative FAQ this page draws from — VPNs, tunnelling, BGP, security, and policy.
- Sign-up — VPN 44Net Connect https://connect.44net.cloud/ Open-source, self-service WireGuard VPN — the easiest way for most hams to join 44Net.
- Address Allocation ARDC Portal https://portal.ampr.org Request IP addresses or manage blocks already assigned to your callsign.
- Community 44Net on Groups.io https://ardc.groups.io/g/44net Discussion, troubleshooting help, and announcements from fellow 44Net users.
- Amateur Radio VE7LEE / VE7LE — Amateur Radio Station https://ve7lee.tedlee.ca/ Ted Lee's main amateur radio page — SSTV, D-STAR, Meshtastic, and more.