As a Wireless ISP, it is important to stay on top of the various
wireless standards, and technology trends.  “Mesh Networking” has
been a growing innovation for quite some time now, and things are only
going to heat up more.

Last week, we saw some of the larger companies getting more interested in mesh networking when Motorola bought MeshNetworks.  When we start to see the acquisitions like this occurring, the market is warming up and becoming more mature.

What is mesh networking, and why would a WISP care?  Mesh, also
related to Mobile Ad-hoc Networking (MANET), allows each wireless node
to not only send and receive data, but to “repeat” data for other
nodes.  What this means is that each node in a mesh network
becomes a repeater capable of extending the range of your wireless
network.

It is important to understand that mesh networking is not the “end-all”
replacement for more traditional “hub and spoke” designs, however it is
able to complement these designs in areas where you have a higher
density of users.  Consider using mesh solutions in suburban
enclaves, where you would only have to get your wireless backhaul to
the edge of the neighborhood … and then use mesh to cover the homes
within the neighborhood.

Mesh and MANET are still being evolved to address some of the core
issues.  Static mesh networks are more prevalent than mobile
MANETs since the routing between mobile nodes becomes much more complex.

To discuss Mesh or MANET networking, come join the conversations in our MANET and Mesh Networking Forum!  There is already a link to some tutorials posted there …