Military experiments in the 1980s introduced the concept of mesh networks. But, due to cost, a scarcity of radio spectrum, and other limitations, mesh didn't gain traction until some established hardware companies started offering mesh hardware around 2015.
When it comes to Wi-Fi® connectivity, wireless mesh networks provide a smoother experience. Wireless mesh networks are made up of multiple nodes working together to relay data to users even when one of the nodes fails. Mesh networks are ideal for providing better coverage in difficult-to-reach areas, especially in a home or office setting where the main router signals are cut off by separating walls, resulting in weak Wi-Fi signal strength.
In a mesh network, if one of the nodes fail—as an example, your Wi-Fi signal drops—communication is simply rerouted to another node. Dead or slow nodes are dropped. Their signal is rerouted, so users have a continuous Wi-Fi connection no matter where they are in the home, creating less chance of internet interruption.
Designers, and most users, can configure their wireless mesh networks to virtually any size. Each node acting as a hub in the network constantly detects signal path changes and dynamically reconfigures and reroutes them for optimum performance and coverage.
In this week's New Tech Tuesday, we'll look at new products from Silicon Labs, Telink, and Nordic Semiconductor that can be configured into mesh networking projects.
The Mighty Gecko EFR32MG21 Series 2 Multiprotocol Wireless SoCs from Silicon Labs is perfect for enabling multiprotocol, multiband IoT connectivity. With a 32-bit arm® Cortex®-M33 processor running at 80MHz, a 2.4GHz radio with up to 1024kB of flash, and 96kB of RAM, this single-die device meets the demands of secure connected IoT devices requiring high performance and low energy consumption.
TLSR8253F512 by Telink is a BLUETOOTH® LE + IEEE802.15.4 multi-standard wireless SoC with embedded 512kB of internal flash and audio support for single or dual analog or digital microphones for voice search applications. The TLSR8253F512 supports multiple concurrent standards and integrates hardware acceleration, digital processing, and protocols stack software and profiles, making it the ideal single-chip solution for Internet of Things and Human Interface Device applications.
Nordic Semiconductor nRF5340 Development Kit is a flexible development kit for the nRF5340 SoC and supports a variety of wireless protocols, including BLUETOOTH® 5.2, BLUETOOTH® LE, and mesh protocols, such as BLUETOOTH® mesh, Thread, and Zigbee. In addition, NFC, ANT, 802.15.4, and 2.4GHz proprietary protocols are supported.
Compared to early versions and the single, standalone gateway setup, mesh networking has an array of advantages. Mesh networks solve coverage issues with many household devices and dynamically configure themselves for optimum coverage and performance. Those are advantages that are hard to beat.
Tommy Cummings is a freelance writer/editor based in Texas. He's had a journalism career that has spanned more than 40 years. He contributes to Texas Monthly and Oklahoma Today magazines. He's also worked at The Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, San Francisco Chronicle, and others. Tommy covered the dot-com boom in Silicon Valley and has been a digital content and audience engagement editor at news outlets. Tommy worked at Mouser Electronics from 2018 to 2021 as a technical content and product content specialist.