Businesses often have two options when it comes to mesh connectivity for devices and employees: a traditional high-risk network or a self-optimizing, redundant mesh network. A business’ specific needs will often make the choice for them—but it’s important to consider all options. In this blog, we’ll cover these traditional high-risk networks, as well as Rajant’s mesh networks, and considerations corporations should keep in mind when deciding on a solution.
What Is a Mesh Network?
A mesh network is one way to grant connectivity to devices, just like Wi-Fi or LTE. Mesh networks are unique because instead of each device connecting to a single access point, mesh networks feature nodes, or bridges/devices, that also serve as points of connectivity.
However, not all mesh networks are created equal.
How Is Traditional High-Risk Mesh Different from Rajant Mesh?
Rajant’s Kinetic Mesh® wireless networks were developed after we recognized the problems that traditional high-risk networks pose – they weren’t effective – and we embarked on a mission to solve this.
Last-mile communications were top-of-mind. We realized there were issues with transporting data, internet access, or packages from a centralized location to an individual one in the markets where the need for this technology is the greatest. This centralization made way for several roadblocks in different environments. In the harshest of conditions where mesh networks are a preferred option, vibration, temperature extremes, and physical obstructions deemed traditional mesh networks ineffective. The hardware was as critical to the design as the software to provide redundancy and reliability. Failure to connect is mission critical to businesses requiring steadfast autonomous connectivity.
These are the problems that Rajant Kinetic Mesh wireless mesh networks solve. With redundancy through nodes, or BreadCrumbs®, there are multiple points of connection. Multi- radio options provide a series of signal options for each device to connect to, regardless of external conditions and interferences. More access points mean more reliable communications. With this, we solved the main problem that traditional high-risk networks failed to address.
What Are the Advantages of Rajant Mesh Networks?
Rajant Kinetic Mesh has several inherent advantages over traditional high-risk networks.
1. Rajant’s mesh networks are more reliable.
Traditional high-risk networks must establish a clear line of sight. Bad weather, tall buildings, and even other devices may challenge the integrity of other networks, while Kinetic Mesh networks will function properly even with interferences. The nodes that comprise Rajant’s mesh networks make signal transmission possible, even if a clear line of sight isn’t possible.
This is made possible through our family of BreadCrumbs. They function as nodes, enabling any-node to any-node communication without the need for a static controller and eliminating the risk of a single point of failure. This results in more reliable communications.
2. Rajant’s mesh networks offer more bandwidth.
In traditional high-risk networks, there is only so much bandwidth to go around. That bandwidth is divided among all the clients paying for usage, and the bandwidth is often restricted and unreliable, especially during busy times.
In contrast, Rajant Kinetic Mesh networks are built with high bandwidth and the capability of producing a data rate of up to 270 Mbps. Further, nodes in Rajant’s mesh networks make it possible to have multiple devices sending packets over multiple paths simultaneously, as well as various drop-off points that allow consumers to quickly get information from the client device to the network infrastructure. In turn, Rajant’s mesh networks offer more bandwidth with fewer congestion issues.
3. Rajant’s mesh networks are easier to scale.
There are a few factors that come into play when it comes to scaling traditional high-risk networks. Base station and tower placement, frequency availability, and the number of access points within the network must all be taken into consideration. If scaling is necessary, base stations, towers, and access points must be added—and those get expensive, fast.
Rajant Kinetic Mesh networks are much easier to scale. Rajant uses unlicensed and lightly licensed frequencies that offer larger amounts of bandwidth and are more readily available around the globe to support various applications. To expand our mesh network, simply add additional nodes wherever needed.
Rajant BreadCrumbs are built for scalability, mobility, adaptability, redundancy, and reliability. Each BreadCrumb wireless node features our InstaMesh® networking software, which powers the continuous and virtually instantaneous transfer of all wired and wireless mesh communications. Rajant BreadCrumbs can communicate with any Wi-Fi, LTE, or ethernet-connected device to deliver low-latency, high-throughput data, voice, and video applications across the meshed, self-healing network.
The software continuously determines the best action for each packet flowing through the network with no central management node or single point of failure. Since each wireless node can be connected to hundreds of neighboring nodes, any node can transmit real-time information across the fastest and most efficient means possible. Moreover, there’s a high degree of uptime and no infrastructure required.
Rajant offers a number of BreadCrumb sizes to meet the unique needs of every business. From the Cardinal—a credit-card-sized dual-radio designed with automation robots in mind—to our Peregrine series—an industrial-grade BreadCrumb that offers quad MIMO transceivers and an up to 2.3Gbps aggregated data rate—our family of BreadCrumbs can serve every business’ needs, no matter how big or small.
How Do I Know Which Solution Is Right for My Business?
Every business’ needs are different, but if reliability and scalability are top-of-mind, Rajant Kinetic Mesh networks are the safest bet. With hardware and software to uniquely protect against interference, long distances, and harsh environments, Rajant’s mesh networks are built for reliable, scalable, and adaptable communications that can easily be tailored to meet your business’ needs. Rajant BreadCrumbs® provide 5x greater throughput, 5x lower latency, and 5x lower cost, compared to LTE.
At Rajant, we intentionally designed our mesh networks for future-proofed connectivity. Any newer BreadCrumb models seamlessly operate with legacy models for ease-of-expansion as your business wireless mobility and automation requirements grow. With a more reliable infrastructure that makes mission-critical communications always possible, mesh networks will undoubtedly spearhead the long overdue digital transformation many businesses have been waiting for. We’re bridging technologies—from nodes to signals—to ensure safer, more effective business operations. It’s our way of future-proofing communications.
Learn more about Rajant’s Kinetic MeshⓇ Wireless Mesh Networks—or see a side-by-side comparison between Rajant InstaMesh® and LTE.
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