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MeshDynamics has enhanced its industry-leading MD4000 third-generation Wi-Fi wireless mesh nodes with new features offering better performance and reliability in mobile or mixed fixed/mobile environments. The new software, called Persistent 3^rd-Generation Mesh (P3M), is intended for dynamic military, transportation, and public safety applications, as well as in critical applications such as mine safety.

In recent tests, the company demonstrated persistent high-throughput and low-delay and low-jitter networking as mobile wireless mesh nodes connected automatically with other mobile and fixed wireless mesh nodes. As some elements of the network moved out of Wi-Fi range from other nodes, they automatically formed into separate independent networks, allowing communication to continue. When brought back into range, these network elements seamlessly reconnected with the rest of the network. All of this occurred without any operator intervention or reconfiguration and the process takes place in a fraction of a second.

MeshDynamics MD4000 nodes are already being used in tactical battlefield environments to transmit video, voice, and sensor data between moving armored vehicles. The new P3M features now allow for smaller groups that become separated from the main formation or column to maintain the same high performance among themselves while isolated, and then automatically rejoin the larger force when they again come into range.

The P3M features have also been proven in demanding underground mining environments, where possible cave-ins and other disasters may lead to a section of the network becoming isolated from the main portion of the network. With P3M technology, miners in the isolated sections may still communicate with one another, providing persistent Voice-over-IP and location capabilities and potentially speeding rescue.

Third-generation wireless mesh networking solutions offer much higher performance, especially in multi-hop topologies, by providing multiple separate paths for backhaul communications as well as one or more service radios in each node. MeshDynamics is the first to accomplish this through dynamic channel-agile radio management. Unlike other hardware-focused solutions, MeshDynamics products offer the power of third-generation performance but deploy as easily as first-generation solutions. Delivered on 802.11 protocols today, MeshDynamics' radio-agnostic technology allows easy future migration to WiMAX and other radio technologies.

MeshDynamics' technology is based on distributed radio-frequency software intelligence in each wireless mesh-networking node, not expensive proprietary RF switching hardware, custom radios, or costly specialized antennas. This makes MeshDynamics' MD4000 family of Structured Mesh wireless nodes extremely cost-effective compared to hardware-focused third generation solutions.