Not another Next Big Thing.

I’m constantly being asked what the next big thing for wireless mesh is. Well standardization is the main focus and most of new Linux distribution will have the latest component built into the OS. I like the UNIX and FreeBSD and the next release of FreeBSD® Version 8.0 focuses include wireless networking, virtualization, and storage technology. I am currently using FreeNAS for network area storage (excellent.)

802.11 wireless networking has been overhauled to add Virtual Access Points (VAP) support, which allows multiple wireless networks to be hosted from a single access point. Draft 802.11 mesh networking support allows FreeBSD-based devices to dynamically link together to create a larger wireless network. Other notable updates in FreeBSD Version 8.0 include: FreeBSD 8.0's wireless network stack is the industry leader, and makes FreeBSD the platform of choice for a future generation of networking products.

FreeBSD 8.0's network stack also offers multiprocessing optimizations: a revised link layer subsystem, per-CPU flow cache, multi-queue transmit support, and significant UDP and TCP protocol scalability improvements. Zero-copy buffer extensions to BPF improve high volume packet capture performance.

In FreeBSD 8.0, virtual machine administrators in FreeBSD's ground-breaking lightweight "Jails" can now create their own nested jails. FreeBSD now supports host and guest modes in VirtualBox, and can run as a 32-bit Xen DomU guest.

The Network File System (NFS) implementation has been enhanced with GSSAPI encryption, and also experimental NFSv4 client and server support. In addition to ZFS moving from experimental to production status, FreeBSD 8.0 introduces GPT boot support.
Yeah, so if you looking for a good OS to start to build your Wireless Mesh you may want to look at FreeBSD 8.0.

Did I just stumble upon stability of mesh

Most of the time I write how wonderful wireless mesh is; however, today is more of how I reached network stability by not allowing wireless mesh to automatic determine the best path to use. Since the area I have choose in a highly populated area with a gauntlet of buildings, the amount of signal reflection and the interference can lead to havoc. Specifically having wireless mesh link to two other devices and having them mesh together is founding principal regarding this technology. So here I come, I've break all the rules, I do everything that is opposite and setup a 4 hop dog leg preventing wireless mesh to have only a single path to the Internet. What happen was simply magical. Network stability. The nodes seems very stable and performance has improved tremendously. Throughput of the signal is laser fast, such that maintain a constant speed.

OK, so how did this happen? I have a 3 hop dog leg. At the end of the dog leg one of my node tries to connect with the up link node. What happens is the last node can't find the path to the Internet. It keeps searching. So to stop the searching I removed the redundancy of the network path. I took the strongest signal that is consistent over time between the nodes. This worked.

Next I added another node to the system; this node had the ability to reduce the hopes by providing and alternative path to the gateway. What happened was an nodes became confused to which was the best path. In a moment of time the new node had the strongest signal then it would loose it and another node would then have a better signal to the gateway.

Enough I said. So I stop the flaky connections and identify the strongest signals, over time, between nodes. I then set the "blocknode" command in WIANA to ensure that the nodes would not connect to each other. What this produced was a single path to the gateway.

How I determine the strongest signal was I check "reporter" on each node and determine which had the strongest connection such that
Node B: had two connection node C and node D (this node a weaker signal)
Node C: had a strong connection to B and D
Node D: had equally strong signal to both B and C

I figure B to D was flaky and block them from communicating like wise Node C always was trying to connect to the Up link node called node A. So I block C from connecting to Node A, thus Node A connected only to node B
B connected with C
and C connect only with D i.e.
A to B to C to D

A to D is stable.

I now call this a structured Mesh. Not allowing the software to determine which is the best path is a break through. The idea came from watching a show on fractals. The largest segment is from A to B. Next B to C and finally C to D. B to D would seem faster avoiding C but the length of connection between the two was actually slower, Such that the further you go between connection the slower the connection. OK, I got lucky.

The fractal of B, if it had a redudant path to the up link nodes, such that it had a choice between up links then the would had to be the same for nodes C and D. They two should have an alternate route. It just make sense. Why have a redudant route in C and D where either A or B was not redudant? Thus C and D was looking for a redudant path.

There is no different in the risk node failure because of this. If main branch is not redudant then why should the outer branches be redudant?

Network stability not by using wireless mesh but by using fractal.

Oh performance is excellent.

I very impressed that 4 hops out can play video with no jitter.

Final thought is I have one arm radiating out now to add a second arm.