There's 802.11a,
802.11b,
802.11g, 802.11i,
802.11n, and a bunch of other IEEE wireless LAN
standards you don't hear about much, but now Intel has introduced a proposal for 802.11s, which is reserved for mesh
networking. Mesh networking has been around for years, but the basic idea is that instead of the current hub-and-spoke
model of wireless communications, with every device connecting to a central access point, with mesh networking every
device in the area acts as a repeater or router, relaying traffic for everyone else. Whenever you have mesh-enabled
devices in close proximity to each other they automatically create a wireless mesh network, and traffic hops from
device to device until it reaches the nearest Internet access point, reducing the need for central antennas, and
improving wireless coverage. Intel's proposal is for interoperable standard for 802.11s that would be built on top of
and be compatible with the current 802.11a/b/g standards and be designed so that nodes could automatically discover
each other and form mesh networks, as well as for "Mesh Portals" that would be able to connect to regular 802.11
networks. They also want to build into the 802.11s protocol quality of service standards so that the network would know
what traffic to prioritize if you were streaming video around a home network. Sounds pretty fresh, right? Yeah, well
the IEEE hopes to have a standard for 802.11s ratified by 2008.
[Via Slashdot]
Get ready for 802.11s -- Intel proposes mesh networking standard