Locustworld
Wireless Mesh Networks embody a hierarchical system design similar to that found
on most Ethernet networks.
Distributed Uplink Nodes act as connectivity devices for wireless
clients, while the Uplink attaches to an Ethernet edge or Nat router. In cases
where the wired infrastructure also supports Ethernet clients, Wireless mesh
often are employed to provide isolation. To meet scalability needs, the trend is
toward smaller wireless cells, which reduce contention, and the latest
generation Locustworld Build 25 will load-balance Clients across wireless mesh
to optimize performance. This is pretty basic network design, and it works well
in many cases.
The
downside, as most ISP will quickly tell you, is delivering Ethernet connections
to all the Uplink Nodes, which often are physically located in locations where
Ethernet cables seldom travel. That usually means a new cable pull for every
Uplink Node, and with dense deployments, those costs can add up.
In most ISP, installing the necessary Ethernet infrastructure to support
Uplink node not only slows down the implementation, it also adds significantly
to the cost.
Mesh networks can solve this
problem and a bunch of other problems, as well. The underlying technology
borrows heavily from lessons learned through the implementation of dynamic
routing protocols on the Internet. Mesh
technology has both indoor and outdoor applications. Inside buildings can be
used to create WLAN’s that don't require Ethernet backhaul. In the simplest
infrastructure implementation, you just plug a bunch of mesh-capable Uplink
nodes (Meshboxes) into electrical outlets in your building and the Meshbox
automatically for a backhaul connection amongst themselves. Of course, simple is
not always optimal, so some products provide the ability to manage the mesh more
closely, selecting appropriate links and radio technologies.
Outside the building LAN,
meshes can be used to provide wireless access across wide geographic areas
measured in miles rather than meters. In urban areas, where buildings cause RF
reflections, you might need 10 times as many devices. But for some applications,
including public safety and Internet access in suburban or rural areas, the
technology has significant potential.
The major benefits of wireless
meshes include system resiliency, flexible coverage areas and rapid deployment.
It's likely that even mainstream WLAN infrastructure vendors will begin to
employ some limited mesh capabilities in their products to provide more
deployment flexibility in locations where cables are hard to pull (warehouses,
historic buildings, etc.).
The challenges also are
notable and include cost, security, interoperability and scalability. For
example, while device cost is likely to be higher than traditional WLAN systems,
the true cost of deployment needs to factor in both savings on cable
installation costs and user benefits associated with rapid deployment.
Scalability and security issues are likely to be manageable, but they will add
to overall system complexity. Locustworld MeshAP Interoperability is based on
the IEEE standard 802.11b, but as long as the systems are compatible with
802.11b or G at the access layer, giving IT professionals the acceptance of an
open mesh implementations system.
Locustworld MeshAP use the
mesh to provide backhaul between Uplink Nodes and into the Internet or intranet,
to extend out to client devices. In fact, this allows heterogeneous client
devices to dynamically join wireless mesh networks.
The problem this creates is a drain on the mesh bandwidth. With the
expected high growth rate of wireless users, managing the load and utilization
for Uplinks of wireless access networks will be of great concern. In a multi-hop
wireless access network, major aggregation points such as the Uplink gateways to
the wired Internet are naturally the chief points of bandwidth contention.
Super Aggregation is using
100BT or greater ethernet connection to feed the uplink nodes from a central
point. It’s design to act as a
backhaul carrier to the rest of the mesh. It
tries to eliminate Uplink nodes and their ethernet connection by creating a
central point for the signal. The
architecture for this is quite different for distribution that Locustworld
Meshap distributed system; however, no modification are required to the software
only to they type of hardware being utilized.
As an example a 100BT ethernet
connection requires to inject into the mesh. In a distributed system you will required at least 10 of each
uplink nodes, router, ethernet connection etc.
The aggregation of nodes will not be load balanced.
That mean at a point in the Mesh may be heavily utilized where the other
part of the mesh in under utilized. In
a centralize approach the utilization of bandwidth comes for a single source and
therefore can take advantage of the unused bandwidth.
The super Aggregation system
is based on smart antenna design; however, the technology used is of the
standards sector based system.
An example of this is to
inject 100BT of bandwidth into the Mesh you will need at least 10-uplink node, 2
router (1 as a backup), 100BT switch, ethernet cables etc.
You will also require 10 high direction antennas.
The formation of the antenna will be in a circle facing out ward.
All the Uplink nodes will be on the same channel and they will all mesh
with each other, as illustrated below.
Super Aggregation Site
Each backhaul can be link
to a specific uplink antenna. The
centralize mesh array antennas will determine which uplink node it will use,
similar to a Smart Antenna.
Benefits.
Each attend and uplink node should only have enough power as per the
countries regulations; however, the aggregation of the uplink is 10 times the
amount of power of a single uplink node. Since
each node is on a single channel and all uplink nodes will mesh with each other.
The difference is that only one uplink node will communicate with a mesh
cloud in a certain geographical area. Changing
to the antennas to Omni directional will not give you the desire affect.
Super Aggregation
Site feeding many mesh clouds
Super Aggregation from a
central point will help a multi-hop wireless access network and propose
load-balancing routing for this network to alleviate the Uplink node bottleneck.
This can lower the bandwidth-blocking rate compared to widest-shortest and
shortest-widest QoS routing. A super aggregation may lower the
bandwidth-blocking rate to maximize network utilization. Using a wireless
backbone for an access network, the uplink nodes, or routers, do not maintain
per-destination state such as routing tables or per-flow state to support
quality of service.
The 100BT router maintains
much of the global state for load balancing. It is more likely for a single
robust 100BT router node to perform this duty instead of having powerful
distributed uplink nodes deployed everywhere.
