  Implementing a wireless mesh network in a real-life scenario requires a
significant systems engineering effort to turn a network concept into a
complete system. This paper presents an evaluation of a fielded system within
the DARPA Subterranean (SubT) Challenge Final Event that contributed to a 3rd
place finish. Our system included a team of air and ground robots, deployable
mesh extender nodes, and a human operator base station. This paper presents a
real-world evaluation of a stack optimized for air and ground robotic
exploration in a RF-limited environment under practical system design
limitations. Our highly customizable solution utilizes a minimum of non-free
components with form factor options suited for UAV operations and provides
insight into network operations at all levels. We present performance metrics
based on our performance in the Final Event of the DARPA Subterranean
Challenge, demonstrating the practical successes and limitations of our
approach, as well as a set of lessons learned and suggestions for future
improvements.
