Editing Mesh networking (section)

== Basic principles ==
Mesh networks can relay messages using either a [[Flooding (computer networking)|''flooding'']] or a ''[[routing]]'' technique, which makes them different from non-mesh networks.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Introduction to Mesh |url=https://commotionwireless.net/docs/cck/networking/intro-to-mesh/ |access-date=2022-03-01 |website=commotionwireless.net}}</ref> A routed message is propagated along a path by ''hopping'' from node to node until it reaches its destination. To ensure that all its paths are available, the network must allow for continuous connections and must reconfigure itself around broken paths, using ''self-healing'' algorithms such as [[Shortest Path Bridging]] and [[TRILL]] (Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links). Self-healing allows a routing-based network to operate when a node breaks down or when a connection becomes unreliable. The network is typically quite reliable, as there is often more than one path between a source and a destination in the network. Although mostly used in wireless situations, this concept can also apply to wired networks and to software interaction.

A mesh network whose nodes are all connected to each other is a [[fully connected network]]. Fully connected wired networks are more secure and reliable: problems in a cable affect only the two nodes attached to it. In such networks, however, the number of cables, and therefore the cost, goes up rapidly as the number of nodes increases.