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Mesh Network Builder

Build self-healing networks where every node is a relay

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What Is a Mesh Network?

A mesh network connects devices directly to each other without central routers or towers. Every node can relay data for its neighbors, creating a self-healing web that automatically reroutes around failures — like a spider web that repairs itself when strands break.

Why does this matter? When hurricanes destroy cell towers or earthquakes cut fiber lines, mesh networks keep people connected. They power smart homes, battlefield comms, and community internet — all without a single point of failure.

📖 Deep Dive

Analogy 1

Imagine a classroom where the teacher whispers a message to one student, and it needs to reach a student across the room. In a traditional network, everyone passes messages through the teacher (the central hub). In a mesh network, any student can whisper to nearby students who pass it along — if one student leaves, the message just takes a different path through the class.

Analogy 2

Think of a mesh network like a medieval fire beacon system. Each hilltop tower can see its neighbors and relay signals. If one tower is destroyed, the beacon operators simply route the warning through other towers. The message always gets through as long as there is at least one connected path across the chain.

🎯 Simulator Tips

Beginner

Add relay nodes and watch how messages hop through the mesh to reach destinations.

Intermediate

Remove nodes to test resilience — observe how the mesh self-heals by rerouting.

Expert

Optimize routing protocols and compare flooding vs directed forwarding efficiency.

📚 Glossary

Mesh Topology
Network architecture where each node connects to multiple others, creating redundant paths. Unlike star or tree topologies, mesh networks have no single point of failure.
AODV
Ad hoc On-demand Distance Vector — a reactive routing protocol that discovers routes only when needed. A source node broadcasts a Route Request (RREQ), and the destination replies with a Route Reply (RREP) along the reverse path.
OLSR
Optimized Link State Routing — a proactive protocol where every node maintains a full routing table. Uses Multipoint Relays (MPRs) to minimize flooding overhead by selecting a subset of neighbors to forward control messages.
Flooding
The simplest routing approach: every node rebroadcasts every packet it receives to all neighbors. Guarantees delivery if any path exists, but generates exponential traffic and drains bandwidth.
Multi-Hop Routing
Sending data through intermediate relay nodes to reach a destination beyond direct radio range. Each hop adds latency and reduces effective throughput.
Self-Healing
The ability of a mesh network to automatically detect node or link failures and reroute traffic through alternate paths without manual intervention. Recovery time depends on the routing protocol.
Signal Strength
The power of a radio signal at a receiving node, affected by distance, obstacles, and interference. Weaker signals mean higher packet loss rates and lower throughput.
Network Diameter
The longest shortest path between any two connected nodes in the network, measured in hops. Indicates the worst-case routing distance.
TTL
Time to Live — a counter that limits how many hops a packet can traverse before being discarded. Prevents packets from circulating endlessly in loops.
CSMA/CA
Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance — a MAC protocol where nodes listen before transmitting. If the channel is busy, the node waits a random backoff period. Used in WiFi (802.11).
TDMA
Time Division Multiple Access — a MAC protocol that assigns each node a specific time slot for transmission. Eliminates collisions but requires synchronization across the network.
MAC Protocol
Medium Access Control — the layer-2 protocol that governs how nodes share the wireless medium. Determines when each node is allowed to transmit to avoid collisions.

🏆 Key Figures

Charles Perkins (1999)

Co-invented AODV (Ad hoc On-demand Distance Vector), the most widely studied reactive routing protocol for mobile ad hoc and mesh networks

Robert Metcalfe (1973)

Invented Ethernet and formulated Metcalfe's Law — the value of a network grows proportional to the square of its nodes — a principle that directly explains mesh network value

Philippe Jacquet (2001)

Developed OLSR (Optimized Link State Routing) at INRIA, the leading proactive routing protocol used in community mesh networks worldwide

Guifi.net Community (2004)

Built the world's largest community mesh network in Catalonia, Spain, with over 35,000 active nodes providing free internet access

Vint Cerf (1983)

Co-invented TCP/IP and championed delay-tolerant networking and mesh architectures for interplanetary internet and disaster communication

MIT Roofnet Team (2004)

Deployed experimental multi-hop WiFi mesh across Cambridge rooftops, producing foundational research on real-world mesh throughput and routing performance

🎓 Learning Resources

💬 Message to Learners

Mesh networks are one of the most democratic technologies ever created — they let communities build their own internet, disaster survivors stay connected, and billions of IoT devices talk to each other without any central authority. When you kill a node in this simulator, you're seeing the same self-healing principle that keeps battlefield networks alive, smart homes running, and community mesh networks operating across entire cities. The math behind routing is beautiful: a simple rule at each node — forward to the best neighbor — creates emergent global connectivity. Perhaps one day you'll build a mesh network for your neighborhood, your school, or even a disaster relief zone.

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