Instead of using Ethernet cables to create an infrastructure framework into which the various computers, printers, and other devices attach in a network, Wi-Fi can be used to build the infrastructure. Mesh routing provides a mechanism by which a wireless alternative to Ethernet cabling is deployed. Connect802 offers a variety of options for Wi-Fi infrastructure, from our turnkey Connect EZ Infrastructure Solution Suite, to custom-designed RF repeater clouds and mesh routers, bringing fault-tolerant wireless Ethernet connectivity to places that were previously thought of as unreachable. Questions? We've got you covered.

Wi-Fi connectivity is most often though of as being a way for a client computer, like a notebook computer, to communicate back to a wired Ethernet network (and the Internet) through an 802.11 access point device. Wi-Fi radio links can also be used to take the place of traditional Ethernet cabling when pulling a cable just isn't practical. Consider these situations where it would be prohibitively expensive, or simply impossible to install Ethernet wiring:

Why Are Four (and Sometimes Three) Mesh Routers Required?

If you needed to connect two buildings across the street from each other you could use two Access Points with WDS or you could use two Mesh Routers. There is no advantage to using Mesh Routers in this scenario. They're more expensive than Access Points (because they're more sophisticated). The only exception might be if the Mesh Router choice operated at a higher power level than you could obtain with an Access Point. This is only an issue at distances greater than 2000-feet Line-of-Sight and that's what the Connect802 Suite Spot Predictive Site Survey can ascertain.

Creating a link with two Mesh Routers offers no fault-tolerance or redundancy, the single-most fundamental differentiator for Mesh Routing over WDS. That's because (of course) if one of the two Mesh Routers fails then the link fails. One could consider using a third Mesh Router, but that only provides redundancy for ONE of the two other Mesh Routers. If the building on the North side of the street has one Mesh Router and the building on the South side of the street has two then you've still go a single point of failure (if the North Mesh Router fails the link fails).

In this scenario you would need two Mesh Routers on each building for redundancy and fault-tolerance

Mesh may use the protocol called AODV ( Ad-hoc On-demand Distance Vector) to build routes using a broadcast "route request" packet that attempts to locate the best path to a particular destination. In large networks the impact of this broadcast traffic can be significant. An alternative mesh routing protocol known as DSDV (Highly Dynamic Destination-Sequenced Distance-Vector Routing) in which nodes (mesh routers) intermittently send routing information updates to their peers.

When considering an outdoor, point-to-point or point-to-multipoint mesh router configuration you must take into consideration the required height above the ground at which you'll need to mount your antennas. It's a wonderful thing that wireless network sales and marketing folks talk about how their product has a range of "40 miles" (and many of the outdoor Wi-Fi LAN bridge, mesh router, and wireless network equipment vendors do make those valid claims). No matter what kind of antenna you use, and no matter what the power output of a device may be, if you're antenna is only 10-feet above the ground then you're just not going to reach out more than 7 or 8 miles, and that's assuming a clear line of sight (LOS). This is because the earth curves away from you, and the microwave radio signals don't curve with it. Calculating earth curvature is a key element of outdoor wireless networking.