How a meshed network connects you with no Internet

The Internet has been the main gear that makes all the other smaller cogs turn about. In other words, Internet has been the vital element of which almost everything we do today is possible. What if we could manage to be connected even without any Internet signal present in the area? That’s exactly what wireless meshed networking is about.

A wireless meshed network is basically a network made up of nodes. These nodes are either installed in strategic places or embedded in devices. They can receive and pass on data to other connected nodes as long as there’s a source that continuously supplies for the entire network. Think of it like the game “Pass the Message” wherein the Internet connection is the message, the one connected to the Internet is the source of the message, and the nodes are the people playing the game.

When the source passes out the message to the first player, the player can relay it to the person near him even without the help of the source, and so on. Same thing goes for wireless meshed network – when one device is connected to the Internet, it could pass on the connection to other devices nearby, which could pass on to the next, and so on creating an ecosystem of connected devices.

Other benefits of wireless mesh network include:

• More nodes or receivers inside the network means bigger range and faster connectivity
• They are wireless so you also have connection even when you’re outside (concerts, sports tournaments, etc)
• Mesh networks adjusts automatically and looks for the strongest connections that eliminate blocking of signals like walls do.
• It has the capability to connect a whole area to the Internet – from a small office to an entire city.

In smartphones and tablets, only iOS devices are making use of this technology as of now. Using the Multipeer Connectivity Framework made available on the iOS 7 update, users can chat and communicate with other iPhone users using a specific app.

Truly, wireless mesh network has a lot of potential in keeping people connected. Could it be the technology that may finally solve our Internet problems here in the Philippines?