What do wifi mesh systems do and do they actually work?
In: Technology
An access point is connected to the network via wire. So your wireless device transmits to the access point.
A typical network will have numerous access points in various locations, all connected to the network via hard wire.
In a mesh network you typically have one access point connected to a network. Then you have numerous repeaters all around. So your signal is picked up by a repeater which transmits to the next to the next to the next until it reaches an access point.
An alternative method is a leaky wire. A hard wire with holes in the shielding. So you have one access point then the wire going through all the rooms. The wire basically acts as a funnel collecting signals and transporting them to the access point.
Both are nice for areas where you need coverage but dont have network cable access.
A mesh network is nice for high traffic, the signal can find the path of least resistance to arrive at the access point in the shortest time. But you still need to power all the repeaters which can be difficult in some situations where you dont have easy power access.
The leaky wire is useful if you dont have easy power in the area you need coverage. But since it funnels all the signals onto one line it’s not so great with high traffic areas. And if you try to use multiple lines to get around that they have a tendency to interfere with each other if too close.
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