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Wireless mesh network

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In a radio mesh network, each wireless device is capable of acting as a router as well as an end station; it not only transmits and receives data for itself but passes on data for others as well. As long as you are in range of another device you have coverage. The more devices the better the coverage. Mesh networks may involve either fixed or mobile devices.

The principle is similar to the way packets go around the Internet, data will hop from one device to another until it reaches destination. Dynamic routing capabilities included in each device allow this to happen. To implement such dynamic routing capabilities, each device needs to communicate its routing information to every device it connects with, "almost in real time". Each device determines what to do with the data it receives. Either pass on to the next device or keep it. The algorithm used should ensure that the data takes the "most appropriate route".

The choice of radio technology for mobile mesh networks is crucial. In a traditional wireless network where laptops connect to a single access point such as in WiFi, the more laptops connected the less bandwidth available. This is because the devices share a fixed bandwidth amount. With mesh technology and adaptive radio, devices in a mesh network will only connect with other devices that are in a set range. Like a natural load balancing system the more devices the more bandwidth available, provided that not too many hops are taken in the average communications path. To prevent increased hop count from cancelling out the advantages of multiple transcievers, a typical architecture of a mobile mesh network will include fixed base stations that will provide gateways to services and the Internet and mobile devices that relay data between each other and to the fixed base stations. An operator deploying a mobile mesh network will only need to deploy a minimal base station infrastructure and will rely mostly on the devices to extend coverage. However, the "cut through" bandwidth of the base station infrastructure must be substantial.

See also

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