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Mesh Secrets Revealed: How Many Nodes Make a Network?

When it comes to technology options for a municipal wireless network today, mesh networking is not only one of the most compelling wireless technologies available, but also one of the least understood. Where does this new technology fit in your plans? Does it even fit into your plans? While there are many issues that you'll need to consider in evaluating different telecommunications technologies, two critical questions will be: 1) Will the mesh network even work in my environment? (or what will it take to make it function well enough for my purposes?) and 2) How much will the mesh network equpment, deployment, maintenance, and operations end up costing me (in round numbers) - what's the Total Cost of Ownership or TCO? So evaluate these variables carefully before going too far down the mesh road - you're better off to find out how a proposed technology will work up front, than after you've made a decision. The good news is that mesh technology is already a valid solution for most environments and purposes, and its only getting better and cheaper as time goes by.

Mesh networks are best used to provide an area with ubiquitous broadband coverage. Their principal benefit over other wireless technologies is their ability to provide alternate paths that work around obstacles and ensure quality coverage and adequate capacity, at an affordable price, for both network equipment and consumer premise equipment (CPEs). So, assuming adequate backhaul has been established (a big assumption, but a topic for another day), the number of wireless mesh nodes used to provide optimal coverage in the mesh network, as well as the cost per node, will be the key drivers in both the performance of the network and in the network's equipment cost.

Consider then these variables in this UnwireMyCity Guide to help you decide on whether mesh networking would be a good fit for your city. This exercise should lead you to look at your proposed project and territory with a more critical eye and better prepare you for when you begin serious work on your network design, with or without professional help.

Download and Print this handy UnwireMyCity Guide and keep it around as you evaluate your options.

Posted on October 26, 2005 at 10:18 AM

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