MESH network is a distributed network topoloSgy. Its topology is
shown in the figure below. A MESH network generally
consists of two types of devices: terminal nodes and routing nodes:
Terminal nodes are the largest number of nodes in a MESH network
and are generally deployed at the edge of the network. Terminal nodes do not
participate in frequent information interaction (data forwarding) between
networks and are generally designed as low-power devices responsible for data
collection and data upload. Terminal nodes usually collect various types of
data regularly, such as parameters such as temperature and humidity, and upload
them to a certain node for summary. When the upload is completed, the terminal
node can enter sleep mode and wait for the next collection and upload.
Routing nodes are generally deployed in the center of the network
and are responsible for planning transmission paths. They can also serve as
terminal nodes at the same time. Routing nodes need to monitor the data
transmission in the network in real time, so routing nodes cannot work
periodically like terminal nodes. Otherwise, the data in the network cannot be
processed in time, resulting in data loss. In addition, the routing node also
needs a mechanism to wake up the terminal node to ensure that data can be
transmitted to the sleeping terminal node.
In a MESH network, in order to reach each device in the entire
network, it is necessary to know which devices exist in the entire network, so
the routing node also needs to regularly collect peripheral device information.
This peripheral device information is called a routing table. The destination
address and lower-level address are stored in the routing table, and the routing
table is continuously updated based on the data transmitted in the network, so
that the transmission path can be updated in real time.