Analyze the shortcomings of wireless Mesh Access Technology

Wireless Mesh Access Technology

The physical characteristics of wireless communication determine that the shorter the communication distance, the higher the bandwidth, because with the increase of wireless transmission distance, various interference and other factors that lead to data loss will increase. Therefore, selecting to transmit data through multiple short hops is an effective way to obtain higher network bandwidth, which is the advantage of Mesh networks.

In a Mesh network, a node can not only send and receive information, but also act as a router to forward information to nearby nodes. As more nodes are connected to each other and the number of possible paths increases, the total bandwidth is also greatly increased. In addition, because the transmission distance of each short hop is short, the power required for data transmission is also small. Since multi-hop networks usually transmit data to neighboring nodes at a low power, the wireless signal interference between nodes is also small, and the channel quality and channel utilization efficiency of the network are greatly improved, therefore, higher network capacity can be achieved. For example, in a high-density urban network environment, Mesh networks can reduce mutual interference between adjacent users using wireless networks and greatly improve the efficiency of channel utilization.

Mesh Network limitations　

Although wireless Mesh access technology has broad application prospects, there are also some problems that affect its extensive deployment.

(1) interoperability.

Currently, interoperability is an important obstacle affecting the rapid popularization of wireless Mesh access technologies. Wireless Mesh networks do not yet have a unified technical standard for access networks, currently, users can only use the wireless Mesh products of one vendor, or face the problem of interface with various types of Embedded wireless devices, this problem is currently the most important reason for the promotion and use of wireless Mesh access technology. To completely solve the interoperability problem, the industry also needs to develop unified wireless Mesh access technical standards.

(2) Communication delay.

Since the data in the Mesh network is sent through multiple jumps through the intermediate node, each hop will at least cause some latency. As the scale of the wireless Mesh network expands, the more hops, the total accumulated latency increases. Applications with high requirements on communication latency, such as voice or streaming media applications, may face unacceptable delays that are too long. Currently, this problem is solved by adding Mesh nodes and appropriate network protocols.

(3) Security.

Compared with the single hop mechanism of WLAN, the multi-hop mechanism of wireless Mesh access technology determines that user communication goes through more nodes. The more nodes that data communication passes, the more security issues that cannot be ignored. The Internet itself is a typical example of Mesh-based communication, and its security risks are well known. Although various end-to-end security technologies used in wired networks, such as virtual private network VPN, can also be used to solve the security problem of wireless Mesh. However, like the Internet, the security of wireless Mesh networks cannot be ignored.

Mesh network applications

Essentially, a Mesh network is similar to a point-to-point wireless network architecture, which can greatly reduce the network infrastructure costs (such as the number of AP and wireless routers ), it can also reduce the number of wireless network service providers by 70% ~ 75% of operating and installation costs.

Based on the advantages of Mesh networks, it can also provide a variety of services in different heterogeneous environments. When users are moving at high speed, alternatively, you can transmit voice and data through 3G or 2G in a large range of regions. You can also use WLAN to provide broadband network services, such as on-demand videos. With the further development of the Mesh network, it can eventually integrate office phones or mobile phones in the enterprise's office environment. Mesh networks have broad application prospects in many fields such as home, enterprise, and public places.

1. Family

An important use of Mesh technology is to build a home wireless network. Family-style wireless Mesh networking can connect desktop PCs, laptops and handheld computers, HDTVs, DVD players, game consoles, and other consumer electronics without complex wiring and installation processes. In the home Mesh network, various household appliances are both online users and components of the network infrastructure to provide access services for other devices. When the number of household appliances increases, this networking mode can provide more capacity and wider coverage. Another key benefit of Mesh Technology in home environments is that it supports applications with high bandwidth concentration, such as high-definition videos.

2. Enterprises

Currently, most enterprise wireless communication systems use traditional cellular telephone wireless links to provide point-to-point and point-to-point transmission for users. The wireless Mesh network is different. It allows network users to share bandwidth, eliminates the bottleneck of the current single hop Network, and can achieve dynamic balance of network load. It is easier to add or adjust an AP in a wireless Mesh network than a wired AP, more flexible configuration, and lower installation and use costs. Especially for enterprises that require frequent mobile access points, the flexible multi-hop structure and configuration of wireless Mesh access technology will be very conducive to the adjustment and upgrade of the network topology.

3. Schools

Campus wireless networks are very similar to those of large enterprises, but they also have their own characteristics. First, the campus WLAN has a huge scale. It not only has a large region, a large number of users, but also has a large amount of traffic, because the Student Union uses more multimedia than general enterprise users; 2. High network coverage requirements. networks must be able to seamlessly roam between indoor, outdoor, auditoriums, dormitories, libraries, and public places. 3. Load Balancing is very important, because students often need to concentrate on activities, communication congestion may occur when students use the network at the same time.

The traditional method to solve these problems is to install aps in high density indoors, while the number of APS installed in the outdoors is very small. However, due to the large changes in user requirements on the campus network, it is often necessary to add new APS or adjust the AP deployment location, which leads to a significant increase in costs. Mesh networking not only makes it easy to upgrade and adjust the network structure, but also enables Seamless Roaming Between the outdoor and indoor areas.

4. Hospitals

Mesh also provides an ideal networking solution for public places like hospitals. Due to the intensive and complex structure of hospital buildings, some areas still need to prevent electromagnetic radiation. Therefore, it is one of the most difficult areas to install wireless networks. The hospital network has two main features. First, wiring is difficult: In the traditional networking mode, wiring can only be achieved through holes in the building, which is obviously not conducive to changes in the network topology structure. Second, there is a high requirement on the robustness of the Network: if there are important activities in the hospital, such as surgery), any possible faults of the network will have disastrous consequences. Using wireless Mesh networking is an ideal solution to these problems. To adjust the hospital's wireless network topology, you only need to move the existing Mesh node location or install a new Mesh node. The process is very simple, it is also very convenient to install new Mesh nodes. The robustness and high bandwidth of the wireless Mesh access technology make it more suitable for hospital deployment.

5. Tourism and Leisure places

Mesh is ideal for areas where remote cabling is difficult or cost-effective, and users need broadband wireless Internet access, such as tourist sites, resorts, and motel rooms. Mesh can provide broadband services for these sites at the lowest cost.

6. Quick deployment and temporary installation

Mesh networks are undoubtedly the most cost-effective networking method for areas that require rapid deployment or temporary installation, such as exhibitions, trade fairs, and disaster recovery. For example, if you need to hold a meeting for a few days or hold an exhibition for a few days on a temporary basis, you can use Mesh technology to minimize the cost of networking.