Qualcomm Announces Mesh Networking Platform For Better Integrated Networks & IoT Devices

If there is one word you should become more accustomed to over the coming years, it would be mesh. In our ever more interconnected world, beyond our humble computers and TVs, Internet of Things (IoT) is gaining traction. Absolutely everything from lights to door locks, fridges to central heating, washing machines and toasters, they’re all becoming connected to the Internet.

The problem with all this connectivity is managing it all. When wireless standards were introduced many years ago, it was mainly for a couple of devices connected at most. Now, it’s common for the average home to have dozens of devices all clamoring for that virtual airspace, and network congestion is becoming a real problem.

Building bigger networks with more powerful radios is actually detrimental to the overall system of wireless devices, as it becomes a shouting match between devices, none of which are able to hear each other. The answer lies in dialing down the volume and using short-range wireless signals, but have them all interconnect with each other to form what is now known as, a mesh.

Qualcomm, known for its wide range of mobile devices, wireless chipsets and system-on-chips (SoC), is standardizing an implementation of the mesh network with the help of its IPQ40x8/9 network SoC, which is already used in a number of routers.

The Mesh Networking Platform will help OEM providers by supplying a reference design and implementation for mesh integration, complete with voice control, centralized management of connected devices, and most importantly of all, security for IoT.  The chips will come with Wi-Fi Self-Organizing (SON) features, letting the connected devices sort out how best to communicate with each other, while providing the widest possible coverage. The SoC also figures out the best backhaul options, making use of different wireless standards or Powerline options, with protocol translation over CSRmesh with Bluetooth, and also ZigBee.

Qualcomm’s Mesh system can technically already be used by any device with the IPQ40x8/9 SoC, including a number of router designs such as the Netgear Orbi and TP-Link Deco, but the reference design will help speed up adoption. With any luck, IoT devices will become a little less terrible, and a little more terrific, while also improving the overall performance of home networks without resorting to a shouting match.