What is Mesh Network?

In the field of Computer Networks, a Mesh Network is one of the revolutionary concepts for communication and data transmission in a set of various nodes. The Mesh Network is a decentralized communication system that is used for data transmission and data collection In this approach the nodes are directly connected, where there is the dynamic web interconnections among them, and the transmission takes place.

In this article, we will go through the detailed concept of Mesh Network. We will understand its architecture with a simple diagram. Later, we will see some of the core features of Mesh Networks and lastly, we will explore one of the live and real-time examples of a Mesh Network.

What is a Mesh Network?

A mesh network in the Computer Network is the decentralized network topology in Which. each node or device is connected for the transmission of data directly to every other node. This creates the various types of paths through which the data can flow or data can route itself. One of the main insights of the mesh network is that it decrements or eliminates the need or use of the central hub which makes the mesh network completely adaptable and more robust for data transmission. In daily life, the Mesh Network can be also implemented in various We can apply a Mesh Network in home automation. We can apply Mesh Network industrial automation wireless sensor networks, that is WSN, and also in smart cities.

Architecture of Mesh Network

Below is the architecture of the mesh network.

Mesh Network

As shown in the above figure, six devices are interconnected with each other. These six nodes are the individual devices that are arranged in a mesh where each node forms a direct communication or a path with another node. For example, node 1 has the path to communicate with nodes 2,3,4,5 and 6. This type of structure actually helps for reliable communication and also the data packet is been sent from one node to another. until it reaches its final destination. It has also one of the advantages that if any node fails in between it communicates then the network can dynamically reroute its data to maintain connectivity.

How Does a Mesh Network Work?

As in Mesh Network, there are various types of nodes or devices that are connected to each other From these nodes, the primary node is basically connected to the WAN form of network which is a wide area network. This node is connected to a port or a medium, which is known as a modem. All the other rest of the nodes connect through these Wi-Fi settings by configuring the mesh network name.

At the point of conferring the network in the first step. All the devices or nodes should be connected to the same power per source, so that if any node fails due to some uninterrupted reason then the entire network can continue its working or functionality, rather than stopping any usage of transmission of data.

Mesh structured networks are most useful and used in large homes or replaces where there are poor Wi-Fi signals due to interruptions or some other technical reasons this can be used for public works monitoring and also in some elected types of applications. The nodes actually work together to form or to stable a better Wi-Fi connectivity, which makes it a proper solution for reliable communication. As compared to other networks may have more cost, so for the smaller scale applications, a traditional router can be used whereas for the higher or large scale applications, like large homes, we can apply mesh network in which each mesh network has three radios in its associated nodes. And this is to help the network for removing the dead zones.

Types of Mesh Network

Mesh Network is a pool of different types of subnetworks. So below are the types of Mesh Networks along with detailed information:

1. Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Mesh Network

Wireless Fidelity or Wi-Fi is a type of mesh network in which the radio nodes or devices are not connected through a wired connection between these endpoints. As the signals are transmitted through the Wi-Fi, it has some limitations about the radio range, also this type uses the forwarding concept, where nodes transfer the data to the other nodes in a large network or a large distance.

2. Wired Mesh Network

As the name suggests, a wired mesh network uses the cabling concept for the setup of nodes into the mesh structure. Nodes that are connected in this wired mesh network need ethernet ports and some additional devices, like outdoor routers, for the configuration.

3. Full Mesh Topology Network

This is the complete type of mesh network in which each node is connected to all its associated nodes. For better understanding, as we have discussed, the architecture of the mesh network, in that diagram, we can see that each node is connected to all rest of the nodes. So that type of structure is called a Full Mesh Topology Network.

4. Partial Mesh Network

Partial mesh network basically is used to properly handle the huge amount of data transmission, also these types of networks allow the scalability of nodes easily by extending the network range using mesh nodes.

5. Hybrid Mesh Network

As we have seen the Wi-Fi mesh network and wired mesh network show the hybrid mesh network is the pure combination of these two types of mesh networks in which the nodes can be set up in the mesh structure using the wireless and wired communication systems.

6. Infrastructure Mesh Architecture Network

The infrastructure mesh architecture network is used to increase the performance of computing systems that are used in high-performance computing, where there is a low latency of data and we need to operate this without a centralized server.

7. Client Mesh Architecture Network

The Client Mesh Architecture Network connects node to node and serves as the data transmission node by actually sending the packets to transmit the data with the rest of the other nodes.

Applications of Mesh Networks

• Home, Building, and Industrial Monitoring: Mesh networks can be used in building, industrial, and home automation, or monitoring where we can control and monitor various types of lights HVAC systems also can perform yielding energy savings and simplified installation.
• Military Communications: By using mesh networks in electric communications, can actually increase peer-to-peer or soldier-to-soldier communication by having the proper coordination of weapons and systems that are used actually in the battlefield.
• Medical Monitoring: Mesh Networks has also a wide range of application support in the medical industry. It can actually be used for monitoring the patient’s health by activating the reliable and extended monitoring
• Environmental Monitoring: Mesh networks can actually monitor the humidity, the pollutants, and other factors of different types of areas or locations these machinators can also help us to even monitor the sensitive locations of individuals.

Features of Mesh Network

Features of the mesh network are as follows:

• Self-Healing Capability: Mesh Network has the feature of Self-Healing. For example, if the scenario occurs that any node in the communication gets failed due to some unintended reason, then the neighboring nodes can dynamically reroute their data or packet to find alternative paths in the communication. This process actually helps for reliable communication and this completely happens automatically without the need for any manual intervention or central administration.
• Dynamic Routing: Mesh Network uses some dynamic algorithms that are routing algorithms to determine the most efficient path or root for the transmission. The points which are considered while the transmission are node availability, latency, and traffic conditions. All these factors are been managed by the Dynamic Routing algorithm.
• Expandability: A mesh network is designed in such a way that it is expandable according to the need and application. In this mesh structure, the addition of a new node or removal of the existing node is very much relatively simple. By using this we can expand the Mesh Network without the need of reconfiguring the entire network. As a result, this allows us to grow or shrink the nodes according to our requirements.
• Ease of Load Balancing: Mesh network has the potential to distribute data traffic through various paths. This allows users to perform load balancing by avoiding the congestion of specific routes, and we can maintain the optimal performance of the system.

Example of Mesh Network

We will discuss the simple and real-time example of the mesh network. Lets take an example of home automation using mesh network.

• Mesh-Enabled Smart Device: In-home automation using mesh networks, we can set up smart devices that are equipped with mesh networking capabilities. For example, smart locks, smart lights, smart fans, etc. can be enabled using mesh.

• Device Coordination: As we have seen in the earlier concept mesh communicates with all other nodes. So this can be applied in home automation like the smart devices can collaborate and exchange information among themselves in home automation there can be various types of sensors that can send signals or data to the smart lights to turn on automatically or turn off. So these can be managed using a mesh network.

• Scalability: As the structure of the mesh network is highly scalable in our home automation, we can actually increase the smart devices with their setup easily. These devices can easily integrate into the existing mesh network without the need for any external complex configurations or different or additional network infrastructure.

Advantages of Mesh Network

• A single device failure won’t cause the network to collapse.
• Since each computer has a dedicated point-to-point link, there are no traffic issues.
• It is simple to identify a fault.
• This topology offers a great deal of redundancy and various routes to success at the target.
• It offers excellent security and privacy.
• Data transmission is more reliable since its procedures are not interrupted by failure.
• Data transmissions won’t be hampered by the addition of new devices.
• Strong qualities in this topology allow it to win in any circumstance.
• There is no central authority in a mesh.

Disadvantages of Mesh Network

• Less Cost Efficient: As compared to other networks the mesh network is less cost effective. It costs more as the devices are interconnected in the networks.
• Overhead Installation: In the mesh network there are various nodes, and each node or device is connected to the other node in the same network. So due to this, the paths or shouts become more in the initial phase. The installation becomes complex and extremely difficult for the administrator.
• Difficult Maintenance: Maintenance as compared to other networks is challenging in mesh networks, as there are various nodes. And each node is connected to another node with various parts. So due to this, the maintenance of each path becomes complex.
• Power Requirement: The needle power requirement is slightly higher in this mesh network because all the nodes which are connected in the structure remain active all the time and share the data or load in case of load balancing.

Frequently Asked Question on Mesh Network – FAQs

Whether Mesh Network has support for different kinds of Devices?

Yes, Mesh Network has support for various devices like sensors, IoT devices, Laptops, Mobiles, etc.

How does Mesh Network handle high data traffic?

As Mesh Network consists of different nodes, these nodes are connected to each other, so the traffic can be distributed through different routes which is known as Load Balancing.

Can Mesh Network Cause Security Breach?

We can apply various security measures like high encrypted algorithms, secure authentication, etc, but there can be some vulnerable points that can be breached if the configuration is not done properly.

What is the main difference between Star Network and Mesh Network?

In Star Structured Network, all the nodes transmit the data with a central hub first. Whereas, In mesh networks, each node is connected to each other.

What is the benefits of using Mesh Network?

• A single device failure won’t cause the network to collapse.
• Since each computer has a dedicated point-to-point link, there are no traffic issues.
• It is simple to identify a fault.