Mesh

This page describes a concept which is part of our glossary

A wireless mesh network is made up of WiFi nodes organised in a mesh network topology. Wireless mesh networks often consist of mesh clients, mesh routers and gateways. The mesh clients are often laptops, cell phones and other wireless devices while the mesh routers forward traffic to and from the gateways which may, but need not, connect to the Internet. The coverage area of the radio nodes working as a single network is sometimes called a mesh cloud. Access to this mesh cloud is dependent on the radio nodes working in harmony with each other to create a radio network. A mesh network is reliable and offers redundancy. When one node can no longer operate, the rest of the nodes can still communicate with each other, directly or through one or more intermediate nodes.

Technologies & projects

• GoTenna - portable affordable mesh nodes
• LibreMesh - modular framework for creating OpenWrt/LEDE-based firmwares for wireless mesh nodes.
• MeshKit - mobile-based meshing layer for your apps
  • FireChat - mobile mesh-based chat app built on MeshKit
• Althea Mesh
• Project Meshnet - creating a secure decentralized network for routing traffic over private mesh or internet independent of a central infrastructure
• The Free Network Foundation - The Free Network Foundation envisions a world where communities build, maintain, and own their own share of the global computer network
• Open Wireless Movement
• Serval - communicate anywhere, any time
• Commotion Wireless - Commotion is an open-source communication tool that uses mobile phones, computers, and other wireless devices to create decentralized mesh networks
• Servio - A Quarter-Sized File Sharing Device - an Open Hardware project in Bridgeport, CT by Brenda Feliciano
• Byzantium
• open-mesh.org - developers of the B.A.T.M.A.N protocol
• Cypherpunkd: MondoNet - a Global Decentralized, Ad-Hoc, Wireless, P2P Mesh Network (Mondonet)
• Village WiFi & Mesh Potatoes
• Operation Mesh - (this project is stagnant)
• Netsukuku - looks stagnant
• PirateBox
• HSMM-MESH
  • HSMM-Pi - configure the Raspberry Pi to function as a High-Speed Multimedia (HSMM) wireless mesh node
• Open Garden - share your mobile internet among your devices
• WASTEagain - private mesh tool looks perfect for trust groups
• Pinoccio
• BitMesh - sharing internet plans with mesh networking and bitcoin payments
• ChainBot - hardware decentraliser
• Lime SDR - crowdfunded software radio node
• SuperMesh - cool looking mesh node project
• SecureScuttlebutt
• Briar - a mesh messaging app with big plans
• Friends - a newly developing p2p/mesh chat app
• RightMesh

See also

• WiFi
• Rural Internet connectivity
• Open FirmWare for WiFi networks: a UniBS NTW group project
• List of wireless router firmware projects - Three of the most widely used are DD-WRT, Tomato and OpenWRT
• The Darknet Project: netroots activists dream of global mesh network
• Wikipedia:B.A.T.M.A.N - Better Approach To Mobile Adhoc Networking
• Get Internet Access When Your Government Shuts It Down
• FidoNet
• Packet radio
• Apps for the appocolypse
• How to Keep the NSA Out of Your Computer
• Article about SDR (software defined radio) with links to many projects
• HamRadioCoin: Crypto via Radio, Alternative Blockchain Channel
• Bitcoin May Be What Gets Us Real Net Neutrality - opening up wifi meshes with bitcoin micropayments
• To Save Net Neutrality, We Must Build Our Own Internet - We must end our reliance​ on big telecom monopolies and build decentralized, affordable, locally owned internet infrastructure.