One of the major new trends in home technology right now is mesh networking.  But while it’s a new technology for home users, a more reliable form of mesh networking has been used for years by businesses to improve the reach and reliability of their wireless networks.  With prices coming down and the technology becoming more mature every year, it might be worth considering for your workplace if you haven’t already deployed it.

What is mesh networking?  In a traditional wireless network, a small number of “access points” relay data to connected devices.  Your access points can provide that internet connection to devices that connect to them, including computers and phones.

With a mesh network, there can be dozens, or even hundreds, of “nodes” which perform the duties of access points, providing information to any device nearby.  However, each “node” can relay information to any other node in the network.  If one node has a weak signal for any reason, other nearby nodes can take over seamlessly.

Mesh networks are more expandable and flexible. They can also affordably provide a powerful signal throughout large spaces or across heavy-to-penetrate spaces like glass walls or heavy steel beams.  A few scenarios where you should consider a mesh network include if:

• •Wireless reliability is critical to your office, and a lost connection causes lost work or materials.
• •Weak wireless signals are causing problems, reducing productivity or causing worker complaints.
• •A previous technology provider has indicated that it would be prohibitively expensive to implement wireless access in your office because of the number of access points that would be required.

To learn more about whether your office might be better served by different technology, call WingSwept at 919.779.0954 or contact us online!