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Hardware & Industry 4.0

What is Mesh Network?

Quick answer

A network in which devices, or nodes, connect directly to multiple other nodes and relay data for each other.

Mesh Network, explained

In a traditional network, devices connect to a central hub, such as a single Wi-Fi router. In a mesh network, nodes link to one another, so data can hop along several possible paths to reach its destination. If one node fails, traffic can route around it.

Home mesh Wi-Fi systems use several units placed around a house to eliminate dead zones, with each unit communicating with the others to provide one continuous network. Mesh designs are also used in smart home protocols such as Zigbee and Thread, in disaster recovery and rural connectivity projects, and in military communications. The trade-offs include more complex setup and some loss of speed with each wireless hop.

Related terms

Bandwidth

The maximum amount of data that can be transmitted over a network connection in a given time, usually measured in bits per second.

Internet of Things

The network of physical devices, from home appliances to industrial sensors, that connect to the internet to collect and share data.

Mesh Wi-Fi

A home or office Wi-Fi system that uses several linked access points to spread one strong, continuous wireless network across a whole space.

Wi-Fi 7

The wireless networking standard based on IEEE 802.11be, designed for faster speeds, lower latency, and more reliable connections.

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