Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Motorola buys MeshNetworks, it's time to take notice! 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 ... 7:23:55 AM

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