Hyper-Scalable Edge Mesh Networks for IoT Applications

 

We’re surrounded by intelligent things: smartphones, self-driving vehicles, smart homes, and even smart cities. Millions of sensors generate, process, and transmit countless amounts of data to make our lives easier, safer, and more comfortable. However, there are still a lot of challenges that need to be dealt with, from the high cost of hardware and technologies to the slow speed of data transfer.
Mesh networking is a promising approach to organizing device-to-device communication within Internet of Things (IoT) platforms. With its help, IoT networks can work faster and more efficiently without requiring expensive hardware or consuming too much power. But is mesh networking the silver bullet for every IoT project.

Why is it so complicated to organize IoT wireless communication?

To better understand the role of mesh networking in the IoT world, we need to look closer at IoT communication hardware and basic communication requirements for IoT devices. An IoT network can consist of multiple embedded devices: temperature sensors, wireless water valves, automatic sunshades, and so on.

• cost a lot
• consume a lot of power
• need a constant internet connection
• have signal power and distance limitations

Let’s look closer at each of these factors and how they may affect an IoT network.

Challenges and Opportunities for IoT Applications

As we know, the Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionizing companies by connecting all of their assets to operating systems through applications. Most IoT applications can be grouped around four types of functions: sensing, communication, computing, and actuation.
A single device does not usually support all the capabilities, so until now most systems used end devices to sense the environment, communication and network responsibilities were assumed by gateways, and computing was usually performed in a centralized cloud-like server, that sent the information generated, during processing to selected devices that later acted as executors.

The Role of Edge Computing in Industrial IoT:

Computing is an important part of Industrial IoT, as it leads to the generation of new knowledge, which is used to optimize industrial processes much more intelligently. A good example of the latter, is the new intelligent industrial processes that have evolved to the point where they can understand the environment and act accordingly.
This new scenar of connected objects has led to the emergence of new management systems for edge devices, also known as edge nodes, applications, and data, such as Barbara's Edge Platform which enables enable real-time response and management of highly critical assets in highly distributed environments.

Conclusion:

Mesh networks are an essential technology for enabling large-scale IoT deployments, offering enhanced connectivity, reliability, and scalability. Whether in smart cities, healthcare, agriculture, or industrial settings, mesh networks provide the robust communication infrastructure needed to support the growing number of connected devices. As the IoT ecosystem evolves, mesh networks will remain a critical component, ensuring that devices can communicate efficiently, even in the most challenging environments.