Mesh Point Configuration (Access Points Only)

An access point can be configured to be a part of a meshed network. A mesh network is one where nodes in the network can communicate with each where each node can maintain more than one path to its peers. Mesh networking enables users to access broadband applications anywhere, including moving vehicles, by providing robust, reliable, and redundant connectivity to all the members of the network. When one of the nodes in a mesh network becomes unavailable, the other nodes in the network can still communicate with each other directly or through intermediate nodes.

Mesh point is the name given to a device that is a part of a meshed network.

Use the mesh point settings to configure or override the parameters that set how this device behaves as a part of the mesh network.
Note

Note

Only access points can be configured as mesh point devices.
  1. Select Devices.
  2. Select an access point from the list of devices.
    The Basic window opens.
  3. Select Mesh Point.
    The Mesh Point dashboard opens.
  4. Select Add sign to add a new mesh policy for the selected access point.
  5. Select a policy from the list of available policies and select Add.
    1. Select Pencil icon to edit an existing mesh connex policy.
    2. Select Trash icon to delete an existing mesh connex policy.
  6. Select a mesh connex policy to navigate to Settings.
  7. Configure the following General mesh point settings:
    Is Root Select the root behavior of this access point. True means that this access point is a root node for this mesh network, and False means that it is not a root node. A root mesh point is defined as a mesh point that is connected to the WAN and provides a wired backhaul to the network. None is the default setting
    Root Selection Method Use the drop-down menu to determine whether this mesh point is the root or non-root mesh point. Select either None (the default setting), auto-mint, or auto-proximity
    Path Method Select the method used for path selection in a mesh network. Available options include:
    • None – No criteria are used in root path selection
    • uniform – The path selection method is uniform (two paths are considered equivalent if the average value is the same for these paths)
    • mobile-snr-leaf – The access point is mounted on a vehicle or a mobile platform. The path to the route is selected based on the Signal To Noise Ratio (SNR) with the neighbor device
    • snr-leaf – The path with the best signal to noise ratio is always selected
    • bound-pair - Select to bind one mesh point connection at a time. Once established, other mesh point connection requests are denied
    Set as Cost Root Select to set the mesh point as the cost root for mesh point root selection
    Monitor Critical Resources Select to enable critical resource monitoring for this mesh point
    Monitor Primary Port Link Select to enable monitoring of primary port link is enabled for this mesh connex policy. If the primary port link is not present and if the device is a mesh root, it is automatically changed to a non-root device. When the primary port link becomes available again, the non-root device is changed back to a root device
    Wired Peer Excluded Select to exclude wired peers when creating mesh links
  8. Set the following Root Path Preference values:
    Preferred Neighbor Specify the MAC address of a preferred neighbor for this mesh point
    Preferred Root Specify the MAC address of a preferred mesh root for this mesh point
    Preferred Interface Select the preferred interface for this mesh point. Select None to set no preferences. The other interface choices are 2.4 GHz, 4.9 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz
  9. Set the following Path Method Hysteresis values:
    Minimum Threshold Type the minimum value for SNR above which a candidate for the next hop in a dynamic mesh network is considered for selection. This value, along with Signal Strength Delta and Sustained Time Period are used to dynamically select the next hop in a dynamic mesh network. The default setting is 0 dB
    Signal Strength Delta Type a delta value in dB. A candidate for selection as a next hop in a dynamic mesh network must have a SNR value that is higher than the value configured here. This value, along with the Minimum Threshold and Sustained Time Period are used to dynamically select the next hop in a dynamic mesh network. The default setting is 1 dB
    Sustained Time Period Type the duration from 1 to 600 seconds for the amount of time a signal must sustain the constraints specified in the Minimum Threshold and Signal Strength Delta path hysteresis values. These values are used to dynamically select the next hop in a dynamic mesh network. The default setting is 1 second
    SNR Delta Range Select the root selection method hysteresis from 1dB to 100dB SNR delta range a candidate must sustain. The default setting is 1 dB
  10. Select Update to save the changes made to the mesh point configuration.