Archive:Wireless Mesh Networks/Mesh network basics

 Wireless Mesh Networks 

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Acknowledgements — Introduction — Mesh network basics — History Highlights — Motivation — Economics — Politics — Social Impact — Regulatory — Taxonomy of Mesh Types — Design Parameters — How many radios? — Transport — Access — RF concerns — What layers does it run on? — Topology Control — Mobility Handoffs — Applications — Content — Operations — Accounting and Billing — Management — Getting Power to the Node — Survey Tools — Planning Tools — Mounting Options — Testing Tools — Meshes you can build — Conclusion — Applicable Standards — Known Deployments — Mesh Timeline — Mesh Network Vendors — Bibliography — Glossary — Index

Mesh network basics

Self-forming

A network shouldn't need to be configured by a system administrator to tell it how to get a message to its destination. Mesh network should be self-organizing and should not require manual configuration. Adding new gear or relocating existing gear should be as simple as plugging it in and turning it on. The network discovers the new node and automatically incorporates it into the existing system.

Self-healing

If a mesh node or a link in a mesh network fails, messages are sent around it via other devices. Loss of one or more nodes should not necessarily affect the network's operation. A mesh network should be self-healing because a mesh network should not need administrative changes in order to re-routing of messages.

Multi-hop

Meshes should support multi-hop routing or switching. This means that data from a node can jump through multiple nodes before delivering its information to a host gateway or controller that may be monitoring the network.