A Smart Mesh network is a peer-to-peer, multi-hop wireless network wherein participant
nodes cooperate to route packets.
In a RUCKUS Smart
Mesh network, the routing nodes (that is, the access points forming the network),
or
"mesh nodes," form the network's backbone. Clients connect to the mesh nodes and
use the
backbone to communicate with one another, and, if permitted, with nodes on the
Internet.
The mesh network enables clients to reach other systems by creating a path that
"hops"
between nodes.
Smart Mesh networking offers many advantages:
- Smart Mesh networks are self-healing: If any one of the nodes fails, the nodes note
the blockage and re-route data.
- Smart Mesh networks are self-organizing: When a new node appears, it becomes assimilated
into the mesh network.
In the RUCKUS Smart
Mesh network, all traffic going through the mesh links is encrypted. A passphrase
is
shared between mesh nodes to securely pass traffic. When deployed as a mesh network,
member APs communicate with the Master AP either through a wired Ethernet connection
(Root APs) or through the wireless connection using the 2.4-GHz, 5-GHz, and 6-GHz
radios
(Mesh APs).
Smart Mesh Networking Terms
Before you begin deploying your Smart Mesh
network, RUCKUS recommends becoming familiar with the terms in the following
table.
Mesh Networking Terms
| Term |
Definition |
| Mesh Node |
A RUCKUS
Unleashed AP with mesh capability enabled. |
| Root AP (RAP) |
A mesh node that communicates with the Master AP
through its Ethernet (wired) interface. The Master AP itself must
also be a Root AP. |
| Mesh AP (MAP) |
A mesh node that communicates with the Master AP
through its wireless interface by way of a Root AP. |
| Ethernet-Linked Mesh AP (eMAP) |
A mesh node that is connected to its uplink AP
through a wired Ethernet cable, rather than wirelessly. eMAP nodes
are used to bridge wireless LAN segments together. |
| Mesh Tree |
Each Mesh AP can have exactly one uplink to a Root
AP or another Mesh AP, and each Root AP or Mesh AP can have multiple
Mesh APs connected to it, resulting in a tree-like topology. A
single Master AP can manage more than one mesh tree. There is no
limit on the number of mesh trees per RUCKUS
Unleashed Master AP. For example, a RUCKUS
Unleashed network can consist of 1 mesh tree of 6 APs, 2
mesh trees of 3 APs each, or 3 mesh trees of 2 APs each. |
| Hop |
The number of wireless mesh links a data packet
takes from one Mesh AP to the Root AP. For example, if the Root AP
is the uplink of Mesh AP 1, then Mesh AP 1 is one hop away from the
Root AP. In the same scenario, if Mesh AP 1 is the uplink of Mesh AP
2, then Mesh AP 2 is two hops away from the Root AP. A maximum of 8
hops is supported. |