Wireless mesh networking

Applications

• U.S. military forces are now using wireless mesh networking to connect their computers, mainly ruggedized laptops, in field operations. They specifically use forms of mobile ad hoc network (MANET) using a range of military protocols. See mobile ad hoc network § Army tactical MANETs.
• Electric smart meters now being deployed on residences, transfer their readings from one to another and eventually to the central office for billing, without the need for human meter readers or the need to connect the meters with cables.
• The laptops in the One Laptop per Child program use wireless mesh networking to enable students to exchange files and get on the Internet even though they lack wired or cell phone or other physical connections in their area.
• Smart home devices such as Google Wi-Fi, Google Nest Wi-Fi, and Google OnHub support Wi-Fi mesh (i.e., Wi-Fi ad hoc) networking. Several manufacturers of Wi-Fi routers began offering mesh routers for home use in the mid-2010s.
• Wireless mesh networks can be used to overcome gaps in cellular coverage for a vehicle tracking system. In applications such as fleet management, vehicles often travel through remote areas where a consistent GSM/cellular signal is not available, preventing telemetry data from being transmitted in real-time. A mesh network allows vehicles to act as mobile nodes. If one vehicle is out of cellular range, its GPS tracking unit can transmit its vehicle location data to a nearby vehicle that is in range. That second vehicle then acts as a relay, forwarding the data to the central server. This ensures that a continuous track and trace record is maintained, even in areas with poor connectivity.
• Some communications satellite constellations operate as a mesh network, with wireless links between adjacent satellites. Calls between two satellite phones are routed through the mesh, from one satellite to another across the constellation, without having to go through an earth station. This makes for a shorter travel distance for the signal, reducing latency, and also allows for the constellation to operate with far fewer earth stations than would be required for an equal number of traditional communications satellites. The Iridium satellite constellation, consists of 66 active satellites in a polar orbit and operates as a mesh network providing global coverage.