Evolving from ad hoc 802.11 networking, earlier generations of wireless mesh provided basic networking over extended outdoor areas. With the emergence of demanding data applications along with video and voice, single-radio “First Generation” single-radio wireless mesh solutions are proving unsatisfactory in many of these demanding environments. Third Generation wireless mesh solutions are based on multi-radio backhauls and deliver 50-1000 times better performance, but some custom hardware-oriented approaches limit flexibility and create deployment challenges. Software-oriented Third Generation wireless mesh based on distributed dynamic radio intelligence delivers the same high performance but with the additional benefits of easier installation, better avoidance of interference, and the added flexibility of easy mobility. These new capabilities are enabling many new types of applications beyond the traditional wireless mesh metro/muni environment.

Introduction

Mesh network requirements have evolved from their military origins as requirements have moved from the battlefield to the service provider, and residential networking environments. Today, to cover large areas with a single wired Internet link, more cost effective and efficient means of bandwidth distribution are needed. This implies more relay nodes (hops) than were needed before. Further, growing demands for Video and Voice-over-IP require packets to be moved over the mesh at high speeds with both low latency and low jitter. These new mesh requirements (more hops to cover large areas, more efficient bandwidth distribution and better latency and jitter for Video and VoIP) has given rise to the third-generation of mesh architectures.