A typical DMR network consists of one or more node controllers and a number of sites. Each site is made up of several base stations connected by an IP backbone that can be either a switched local area network (LAN), or a routed wide area network (WAN) through the use of routers and bearers.

The DMR network design is scalable from a single site to a large, wide area network with multiple node controllers controlling hundreds of sites. Open standard protocols are implemented to provide gateways to non-DMR base stations/repeaters and digital or analog dispatch console equipment.

Radio networks of differing manufacturers and technologies can also be connected together through DMR networks, creating a simple migration path or large-scale communication systems

There are some key elements of the network, we’ll look at them in a little more detail later, but here are the basics:

1. A Linking infrastructure, or the IP backbone, interconnects the various elements of the DMR network.
2. DMR site equipment, such as base stations or repeaters, provides the RF path to and from the mobile and portable radios for the voice or data communications.
3. DMR nodes control the call setup, generate and store call records and raise alarms.
4. Network gateways provide an audio interface to equipment and systems outside the DMR system.
5. Telephone gateways support direct communications between radios and external telephones through the PSTN/PABX.
6. DMR mobile and portable subscriber units are used to communicate between radio users and other network-connected devices.
   

A full DMR solution will, as indicated in this diagram, integrate a wide variety of third-party elements like voice recorders, dispatchers and applications.