Traditional multi-hop mesh networks face a fundamental challenge: throughput halving. This phenomenon drastically reduces the network’s data transmission capacity with each hop, leading to degraded performance across the network. Meshmerize confronts this problem head-on by enhancing network scalability and optimizing performance using Radio Hopping. This article explores the mechanisms Meshmerize employs to eliminate throughput halving while enabling substantial improvements in network efficiency.

Navigating throughput halving: A Mesh network’s dilemma

Throughput halving is the Achilles’ heel of multi-hop mesh networks. This issue manifests prominently in extensive network deployments when meshing over a single radio. Each node in these networks only forwards half of the data rate received from the previous node. How so?

Divide and conquer: Navigating Full and Half duplex highways

In networking, two key terms that often come into play are full duplex and half duplex, each referring to how data flows across the network. 

Full duplex communication allows devices to send and receive data simultaneously. This method is like having a two-lane highway where traffic flows smoothly in both directions simultaneously, maximizing the efficiency of data exchange. It’s commonly used in wired networks, such as those using Ethernet connections, supporting concurrent two-way communication.

On the other hand, half duplex operates differently. In half duplex mode, a device can either transmit or receive data at any given time, but not both simultaneously. This is more like a single-lane road where traffic must stop in one direction to allow flow in the other. This mode is typical in “traditional” mesh networks and limits network expansion.

The ripple effect of Half duplex in multi-hop networks

In multi-hop mesh networks, where data must hop from one node to another to reach its destination, half duplex cuts throughput in half for each hop. Each node in the chain must wait its turn to send and receive data. As a result, the available bandwidth halves with each relay point in the network path. If one node is transmitting, it cannot receive data simultaneously, and vice versa. Thus, every hop cuts the network’s effective bandwidth in half, leading to the throughput halving problem.

Introducing Meshmerize Radio Hopping

The constraint of half duplex in wireless networks is one of the primary reasons for using Meshmerize’s full duplex radio hopping. By utilizing two radio channels in parallel, data flow is maintained.

Radio Hopping explained

Consider a typical daisy chain topology in a wireless network, comprising three devices: A, B, and C. In this setup, A is connected to B, and B is connected to C, but A and C do not communicate directly. In a traditional half-duplex mesh network, if A needed to send information to C, the process would be considerably slow and inefficient. Device B would first receive data from A, then stop sending it to C, and repeat these steps until the entire message is relayed.

The Radio Hopping is just one of the many standout capabilities in Meshmerize’s feature set. With it, device B uses two radios, each using a different frequency or different channel. Here’s what happens:

• A sends data to B.
• B uses one frequency or channel to receive data from A continuously.
• Simultaneously, B employs a second frequency or channel to transmit data to C – at the same time.

This dual operation allows B to manage incoming and outgoing data flows without interruption and waiting time, facilitating a constant, low latency, uninterrupted stream of data. 

Adding more devices to this setup simply requires each device to jump to the available channel to maintain continuous and uninterrupted data transfer without delays or loss of throughput. 

Additionally, leveraging additional, may further enhance performance based on specific use cases focused on higher data rates or distance for example.

Radio Hopping Benefits unleashed

The result is a significant leap in throughput and network efficiency. By using two distinct frequency channels, Radio Hopping doubles the data handling capacity and mitigates potential interference between the devices. This setup ensures faster data transmission, reduces delays, and increases productivity across the network.

Meshmerize’s Radio Hopping makes sure the data not only travels faster, but does so more reliably. It is a game-changer for industries that rely on rapid, uninterrupted data communication across complex network topologies.

More than just daisy chain networks

While the Radio Hopping is particularly beneficial in daisy chain configurations, its advantages extend to more complex network topologies. In non-daisy chain networks, where multiple pathways and connections exist between nodes, alternating radios help reduce channel congestion and balance the traffic load more effectively. By employing two radios per device, the network can optimize the utilization of available wireless channels, distributing the data load evenly and reducing the likelihood of bottlenecks, which is crucial in maintaining high performance in dense network deployments.

In addition, we are working on enabling channel bonding which combines throughput over multiple radios to increase overall capacity as well as dynamic frequency changes to switch frequencies automatically when interference is detected for an extended period of time.

The evolution of Multi-hop networks

The introduction of Radio Hopping offers a highly effective solution to the throughput halving issue that has plagued multi-hop mesh networks since they were invented. By supporting multi-radios, Meshmerize addresses a longstanding issue and enhances the overall network performance in challenging environments. 

As we continue to refine and expand our technology, Meshmerize remains committed to delivering solutions that meet the critical needs of industrial environments and push the boundaries of what is possible in wireless network technology.

Would you like to give it a try? Let us know!

Meshmerize is a startup based in Dresden, Germany that provides the ultimate mesh network software to an array of industries. The full potential of Meshmerize is yet to be seen. We would like to hear your thoughts – let us know what you think at hello@meshmerize.net