802.11s Mesh on WL-500g

[silver71]

Locust and Qorvus have built their own linux-based Mesh AP with AODV layer on top. Is it possible to have this feature on WL-500g as well ?

Since Qorvus Node and Mesh AP are too expensive to build, since they are based on embedded motherboards such as Coekris or VIA and cost over 1000$, customizing WL-500g to be a Mesh repeater node will be a neat feature.

What you you people think ?


SILVER

[Styno]

I think it would be a :cool: feature to have. Brings back the 'old' days of 27MC, but faster this time.

Tip: do a 'zigbee' or 'mesh' search on www.linuxdevices.com

[silver71]

Even though 802.11s (Mesh) is not yet standardized, there are several protocols, which can be implemented to form an organic network. That is what Mesh is. Self-healing, self-organizing network in which every station operates both as client and AP. Most current vendors tend to use WIANA and other Internet registry features so that is a drawback to put plain Mesh AP onto WL-500g (one must have Internet connection in order to get IP), but to get around that is not impossible, since there is CF image for it, and WL-500g can utilize WL-HDD or usb key.

Since 802.11s works on same channel and operates more like b (not g) in Ad-hoc mode, it could be built even on WL-500b, but WL-500g platform has better performance. That way, if implemented, user could have 802.11b/g/s on same piece of hardware and such a versatile platform would be a real tripple-double :)

The problem is in the fact that "s" protocol Task Group has not yet decided on what prococol would be used in the future to assertain interoperability between various eq. makers.

I bet AODV or MMRP will be the one that prevails, since it's suported by DARPA and MITRE and AODV is used my Motorola's recently acquired Mesh Networks products.

There are sveral AODV implementations. Code is available at :
http://www.consume.net/twiki/bin/view/Main/AdhocOnDemandDistanceVector

and

http://www.mitre.org/work/tech_transfer/mobilemesh/

Have fun !

SILVER

[silver71]

I think it would be a :cool: feature to have. Brings back the 'old' days of 27MC, but faster this time.

Tip: do a 'zigbee' or 'mesh' search on www.linuxdevices.com

Zigbee protocol is also interestring, but I think it wouldn't be cost effective to play with it since WL-500g is more expensive then would-be Zigbee products are predicted to be priced.

Zigbee uses FHSS (hopping) not SDSS (Direct Sequence) so it's not the issue here. My feeling that vendors of Zigbee tend to overtake Bluetooth market, not regular Wi-Fi.

SILVER