The Google recently launched Google Wifi , a device that intends to mesh networks, commonly used in large enterprises, into the house. A mixed router and internet repeater, the device aims to improve the connection in the home environment by distributing the signal equally in all rooms. The idea is to put aside the need to be close to points in the wired network for high performance.
Discover what mesh networking is all about, how it works, and how that new kind of connection Google intends to bring to the home of users can improve the internet experience, especially when streaming movies and music using mobile devices.
What is Mesh Network?
Network of nodes
Unlike the traditional Wi-Fi network, a mesh network is not composed of only a single router connected to the broadband network. Rather, it is made up of us working together to distribute a single internet signal at various points in the same environment. To some extent, nodes function as high-efficiency routers and repeaters.
This is because the internet signal in a mesh network is not lost when distancing itself from the main router. In fact, the trend is for a Wi-Fi connection of the type to get even faster with the addition of new nodes – separate Wi-Fi units or OnHub routers, for example.
More Intelligence
Access points that form a mesh network are not ordinary routers or repeaters, as they must be equipped with special software. The system is essential to control the distribution of the connection in the network according to the need of the user. Although knots are made to spread the reach of the connection in the entire environment, the speed can be directed to a certain task, depending on the need.
As a result, a computer that does movie streaming can gain priority, while mobile devices do not have a weak signal when they switch places. In practice, it means that a mesh network can provide a stable connection anywhere within its range, even if the user moves constantly.
Ease of Use
Mesh networks are easier to manage because the software that comes with each node has the task of integrating itself into the rest of the infrastructure automatically. The compatibility between the drives depends on the manufacturer, but instead, there is no reliance on a network administrator to increase the performance of the connection.
Cost benefit
In conventional wireless networks, you need to invest in more powerful routers or repeaters – which can offer low efficiency – to reach larger areas. In mesh networks, the cost of infrastructure has more flexible scalability. To cover larger environments, simply add more nodes to the same network.
This is one of the main advantages offered by Google WiFi. For a cost that promises not to be so high, the user can add new units to the same network to improve the connection in larger locations. One unit is sold at a price of US $ 129 (R $ 417, current exchange, without taxes) with coverage of up to 140 m², and the three-unit package for US $ 299 (R $ 966)