The following commit rewrites the ESP-MESH docs. This commit includes new diagrams and a structure approach to the mesh docs. Some mesh api references have also been modified.
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ESP-MESH
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========
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This guide provides information regarding the ESP-MESH protocol. Please see the
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:doc:`MESH API Reference<../api-reference/mesh/esp_mesh>` for more information
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about API usage.
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.. ------------------------------- Overview -----------------------------------
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Overview
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--------
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ESP-MESH is a networking protocol built atop the Wi-Fi protocol. ESP-MESH allows
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numerous devices (henceforth referred to as nodes) spread over a large physical
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area (both indoors and outdoors) to be interconnected under a single WLAN (Wireless
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Local-Area Network). ESP-MESH is self-organizing and self-healing meaning the network
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can be built and maintained autonomously.
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The ESP-MESH guide is split into the following sections:
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1. :ref:`mesh-introduction`
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2. :ref:`mesh-concepts`
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3. :ref:`mesh-building-a-network`
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4. :ref:`mesh-managing-a-network`
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5. :ref:`mesh-data-transmission`
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6. :ref:`mesh-network-performance`
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7. :ref:`mesh-further-notes`
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.. ----------------------------- Introduction ---------------------------------
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.. _mesh-introduction:
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Introduction
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------------
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.. figure:: ../../_static/mesh-traditional-network-architecture.png
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:align: center
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:alt: Diagram of Traditional Network Architectures
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:figclass: align-center
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Traditional Wi-Fi Network Architectures
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A traditional infrastructure Wi-Fi network is a point-to-multipoint network where a single
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central node known as the access point (AP) is directly connected to all other
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nodes known as stations. The AP is responsible for arbitrating and forwarding
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transmissions between the stations. Some APs also relay transmissions to/from an
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external IP network via a router. Traditional infrastructure Wi-Fi networks suffer the
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disadvantage of limited coverage area due to the requirement that every station
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must be in range to directly connect with the AP. Furthermore, traditional Wi-Fi
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networks are susceptible to overloading as the maximum number of stations permitted
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in the network is limited by the capacity of the AP.
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.. figure:: ../../_static/mesh-esp-mesh-network-architecture.png
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:align: center
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:alt: Diagram of ESP-MESH Network Architecture
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:figclass: align-center
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ESP-MESH Network Architecture
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ESP-MESH differs from traditional infrastructure Wi-Fi networks in that nodes are not required
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to connect to a central node. Instead, nodes are permitted to connect with
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neighboring nodes. Nodes are mutually responsible for relaying each others
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transmissions. This allows an ESP-MESH network to have much greater coverage area
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as nodes can still achieve interconnectivity without needing to be in range of
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the central node. Likewise, ESP-MESH is also less susceptible to overloading as
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the number of nodes permitted on the network is no longer limited by a single
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central node.
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.. -------------------------- ESP-MESH Concepts -------------------------------
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.. _mesh-concepts:
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ESP-MESH Concepts
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-----------------
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Terminology
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^^^^^^^^^^^
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+--------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Term | Description |
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+==========================+================================================================+
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| Node | Any device that **is** or **can be** part of an ESP-MESH |
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| | network |
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+--------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Root Node | The top node in the network |
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+--------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Child Node | A node X is a child node when it is connected to another node |
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| | Y where the connection makes node X more distant from the root |
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| | node than node Y (in terms of number of connections). |
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+--------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Parent Node | The converse notion of a child node |
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+--------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Sub-Child Node | Any node reachable by repeated proceeding from parent to child |
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+--------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Sibling Nodes | Nodes that share the same parent node |
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+--------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Connection | A traditional Wi-Fi association between an AP and a station. |
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| | A node in ESP-MESH will use its station interface to associate |
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| | with the softAP interface of another node, thus forming a |
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| | connection. The connection process includes the authentication |
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| | and association processes in Wi-Fi. |
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+--------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Upstream Connection | The connection from a node to its parent node |
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+--------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Downstream Connection | The connection from a node to one of its child nodes |
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+--------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Wireless Hop | The portion of the path between source and destination nodes |
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| | that corresponds to a single wireless connection. A data |
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| | packet that traverses a single connection is known as |
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| | **single-hop** whereas traversing multiple connections is |
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| | known as **multi-hop**. |
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+--------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Subnetwork | A subnetwork is subdivision of an ESP-MESH network which |
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| | consists of a node and all of its descendant nodes. Therefore |
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| | the subnetwork of the root node consists of all nodes in an |
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| | ESP-MESH network. |
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+--------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------+
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| MAC Address | Media Access Control Address used to uniquely identify each |
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| | node or router within an ESP-MESH network. |
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+--------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------+
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| DS | Distribution System (External IP Network) |
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+--------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------+
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Tree Topology
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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ESP-MESH is built atop the infrastructure Wi-Fi protocol and can be thought of
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as a networking protocol that combines many individual Wi-Fi networks into a single
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WLAN. In Wi-Fi, stations are limited to a single connection with an AP (upstream
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connection) at any time, whilst an AP can be simultaneously connected to multiple
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stations (downstream connections). However ESP-MESH allows nodes to simultaneously
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act as a station and an AP. Therefore a node in ESP-MESH can have **multiple downstream
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connections using its softAP interface**, whilst simultaneously having **a single
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upstream connection using its station interface**. This naturally results in a
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tree network topology with a parent-child hierarchy consisting of multiple layers.
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.. figure:: ../../_static/mesh-tree-topology.png
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:align: center
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:alt: Diagram of ESP-MESH Tree Topology
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:figclass: align-center
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ESP-MESH Tree Topology
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ESP-MESH is a multiple hop (multi-hop) network meaning nodes can transmit packets
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to other nodes in the network through one or more wireless hops. Therefore, nodes
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in ESP-MESH not only transmit their own packets, but simultaneously serve as relays
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for other nodes. Provided that a path exists between any two nodes on the physical
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layer (via one or more wireless hops), any pair of nodes within an ESP-MESH network
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can communicate.
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.. note::
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The size (total number of nodes) in an ESP-MESH network is dependent on the
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maximum number of layers permitted in the network, and the maximum number of
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downstream connections each node can have. Both of these variables can be
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configured to limit the size of the network.
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Node Types
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^^^^^^^^^^
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.. figure:: ../../_static/mesh-node-types.png
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:align: center
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:alt: Diagram of ESP-MESH Node Types
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:figclass: align-center
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ESP-MESH Node Types
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**Root Node:** The root node is the top node in the network and serves as the only
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interface between the ESP-MESH network and an external IP network. The root node
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is connected to a conventional Wi-Fi router and relays packets to/from the external
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IP network to nodes within the ESP-MESH network. **There can only be one root node
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within an ESP-MESH network** and the root node's upstream connection may only be
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with the router. Referring to the diagram above, node A is the root node of the
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network.
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**Leaf Nodes:** A leaf node is a node that is not permitted to have any child nodes
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(no downstream connections). Therefore a leaf node can only transmit or receive
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its own packets, but cannot forward the packets of other nodes. If a node is situated
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on the network's maximum permitted layer, it will be assigned as a leaf node. This
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prevents the node from forming any downstream connections thus ensuring the network
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does not add an extra layer. Some nodes without a softAP interface (station only)
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will also be assigned as leaf nodes due to the requirement of a softAP interface
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for any downstream connections. Referring to the diagram above, nodes L/M/N are
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situated on the networks maximum permitted layer hence have been assigned as leaf nodes .
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**Intermediate Parent Nodes:** Connected nodes that are neither the root node or
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a leaf node are intermediate parent nodes. An intermediate parent node must have
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a single upstream connection (a single parent node), but can have zero to multiple
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downstream connections (zero to multiple child nodes). Therefore an intermediate
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parent node can transmit and receive packets, but also forward packets sent from its
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upstream and downstream connections. Referring to the diagram above, nodes
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B to J are intermediate parent nodes. **Intermediate parent nodes without downstream
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connections such as nodes E/F/G/I/J are not equivalent to leaf nodes** as they
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are still permitted to form downstream connections in the future.
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**Idle Nodes:** Nodes that have yet to join the network are assigned as idle nodes.
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Idle nodes will attempt to form an upstream connection with an intermediate parent
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node or attempt to become the root node under the correct circumstances (see
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`Automatic Root Node Selection`_). Referring to the diagram above, nodes K and O
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are idle nodes.
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Beacon Frames & RSSI Thresholding
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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Every node in ESP-MESH that is able to form downstream connections (i.e. has a
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softAP interface) will periodically transmit Wi-Fi beacon frames. A node uses
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beacon frames to allow other nodes to detect its presence and know of its status.
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Idle nodes will listen for beacon frames to generate a list of potential parent nodes,
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one of which the idle node will form an upstream connection with. ESP-MESH uses
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the Vendor Information Element to store metadata such as:
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- Node Type (Root, Intermediate Parent, Leaf, Idle)
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- Current layer of Node
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- Maximum number of layers permitted in the network
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- Current number of child nodes
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- Maximum number of downstream connections to accept
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The signal strength of a potential upstream connection is represented by RSSI
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(Received Signal Strength Indication) of the beacon frames of the potential parent
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node. To prevent nodes from forming a weak upstream connection, ESP-MESH implements
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an RSSI threshold mechanism for beacon frames. If a node detects a beacon frame
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with an RSSI below a preconfigured threshold, the transmitting node will be
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disregarded when forming an upstream connection.
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.. figure:: ../../_static/mesh-beacon-frame-rssi.png
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:align: center
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:alt: Diagram of the Effects of RSSI Thresholding
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:figclass: align-center
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Effects of RSSI Thresholding
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**Panel A** of the illustration above demonstrates how the RSSI threshold affects
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the number of parent node candidates an idle node has.
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**Panel B** of the illustration above demonstrates how an RF shielding object can
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lower the RSSI of a potential parent node. Due to the RF shielding object, the
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area in which the RSSI of node X is above the threshold is significantly reduced.
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This causes the idle node to disregard node X even though node X is physically
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adjacent. The idle node will instead form an upstream connection with the physically
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distant node Y due to a stronger RSSI.
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.. note::
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Nodes technically still receive all beacon frames on the MAC layer. The RSSI
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threshold is an ESP-MESH feature that simply filters out all received beacon
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frames that are below the preconfigured threshold.
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Preferred Parent Node
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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When an idle node has multiple parent nodes candidates (potential parent nodes),
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the idle node will form an upstream connection with the **preferred parent node**.
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The preferred parent node is determined based on the following criteria:
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- Which layer the parent node candidate is situated on
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- The number of downstream connections (child nodes) the parent node candidate currently has
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The selection of the preferred parent node will always prioritize the parent node
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candidate on the shallowest layer of the network (including the root node). This
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helps minimize the total number of layers in an ESP-MESH network when upstream
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connections are formed. For example, given a second layer node and a third layer
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node, the second layer node will always be preferred.
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If there are multiple parent node candidates within the same layer, the parent
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node candidate with the least child nodes will be preferred. This criteria has
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the effect of balancing the number of downstream connections amongst nodes of
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the same layer.
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.. figure:: ../../_static/mesh-preferred-parent-node.png
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:align: center
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:alt: Diagram of Preferred Parent Node Selection
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:figclass: align-center
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Preferred Parent Node Selection
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**Panel A** of the illustration above demonstrates an example of how the idle
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node G selects a preferred parent node given the five parent node candidates
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B/C/D/E/F. Nodes on the shallowest layer are preferred, hence nodes B/C are
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prioritized since they are second layer nodes whereas nodes D/E/F are on the
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third layer. Node C is selected as the preferred parent node due it having fewer
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downstream connections (fewer child nodes) compared to node B.
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**Panel B** of the illustration above demonstrates the case where the root node
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is within range of the idle node G. In other words, the root node's beacon frames
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are above the RSSI threshold when received by node G. The root node is always the
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shallowest node in an ESP-MESH network hence is always the preferred parent node
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given multiple parent node candidates.
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.. note::
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Users may also define their own algorithm for selecting a preferred parent
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node, or force a node to only connect with a specific parent node (see the
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:example:`Mesh Manual Networking Example<mesh/manual_networking>`).
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Routing Tables
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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Each node within an ESP-MESH network will maintain its individual routing table
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used to correctly route ESP-MESH packets (see `ESP-MESH Packet`_) to the correct
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destination node. The routing table of a particular node will **consist of the
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MAC addresses of all nodes within the particular node's subnetwork** (including
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the MAC address of the particular node itself). Each routing table is internally
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partitioned into multiple subtables with each subtable corresponding to the
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subnetwork of each child node.
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.. figure:: ../../_static/mesh-routing-tables-example.png
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:align: center
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:alt: Diagram of ESP-MESH Routing Tables Example
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:figclass: align-center
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ESP-MESH Routing Tables Example
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Using the diagram above as an example, the routing table of node B would consist
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of the MAC addresses of nodes B to I (i.e. equivalent to the subnetwork of node
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B). Node B's routing table is internally partitioned into two subtables containing
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of nodes C to F and nodes G to I (i.e. equivalent to the subnetworks of nodes C
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and G respectively).
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**ESP-MESH utilizes routing tables to determine whether an ESP-MESH packet should
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be forwarded upstream or downstream based on the following rules.**
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**1.** If the packet's destination MAC address is within the current node's routing
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table and is not the current node, select the subtable that contains the destination
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MAC address and forward the data packet downstream to the child node corresponding
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to the subtable.
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**2.** If the destination MAC address is not within the current node's routing table,
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forward the data packet upstream to the current node's parent node. Doing so repeatedly
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will result in the packet arriving at the root node where the routing table should
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contain all nodes within the network.
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.. note::
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Users can call :cpp:func:`esp_mesh_get_routing_table` to obtain a node's routing
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table, or :cpp:func:`esp_mesh_get_routing_table_size` to obtain the size of a
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node's routing table.
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:cpp:func:`esp_mesh_get_subnet_nodes_list` can be used to obtain the corresponding
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subtable of a specific child node. Likewise, :cpp:func:`esp_mesh_get_subnet_nodes_num`
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can be used to obtain the size of the subtable.
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.. ------------------------ Building a Mesh Network ---------------------------
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.. _mesh-building-a-network:
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Building a Network
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------------------
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General Process
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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.. warning::
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Before the ESP-MESH network building process can begin, certain parts of the
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configuration must be uniform across each node in the network (see
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:cpp:type:`mesh_cfg_t`). Each node must be configured with **the same Mesh
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Network ID, router configuration, and softAP configuration**.
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An ESP-MESH network building process involves selecting a root node, then forming
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downstream connections layer by layer until all nodes have joined the network. The exact
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layout of the network can be dependent on factors such as root node selection,
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parent node selection, and asynchronous power-on reset. However, the ESP-MESH network
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building process can be generalized into the following steps:
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.. figure:: ../../_static/mesh-network-building.png
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:align: center
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:alt: Diagram of ESP-MESH Network Building Process
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:figclass: align-center
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ESP-MESH Network Building Process
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1. Root Node Selection
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""""""""""""""""""""""
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The root node can be designated during configuration (see section on
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`User Designated Root Node`_), or dynamically elected based on the signal strength
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between each node and the router (see `Automatic Root Node Selection`_). Once selected,
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the root node will connect with the router and begin allowing downstream connections
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to form. Referring to the figure above, node A is selected to be the root node
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hence node A forms an upstream connection with the router.
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2. Second Layer Formation
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"""""""""""""""""""""""""
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Once the root node has connected to the router, idle nodes in range of the root
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node will begin connecting with the root node thereby forming the second layer
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of the network. Once connected, the second layer nodes become intermediate parent
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nodes (assuming maximum permitted layers > 2) hence the next layer to form. Referring
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to the figure above, nodes B to D are in range of the root node. Therefore nodes
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B to D form upstream connections with the root node and become intermediate parent
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nodes.
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3. Formation of remaining layers
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""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
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The remaining idle nodes will connect with intermediate parent nodes within range
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thereby forming a new layer in the network. Once connected, the idles nodes become
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intermediate parent node or leaf nodes depending on the networks maximum permitted
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layers. This step is repeated until there are no more idle nodes within the network
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or until the maximum permitted layer of the network has been reached. Referring to
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the figure above, nodes E/F/G connect with nodes B/C/D respectively and become
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intermediate parent nodes themselves.
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4. Limiting Tree Depth
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""""""""""""""""""""""
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To prevent the network from exceeding the maximum permitted number of layers, nodes
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on the maximum layer will automatically become leaf nodes once connected. This
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prevents any other idle node from connecting with the leaf node thereby prevent
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a new layer form forming. However if an idle node has no other potential parent
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node, it will remain idle indefinitely. Referring to the figure above, the network's
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maximum permitted layers is set to four. Therefore when node H connects, it becomes
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a leaf node to prevent any downstream connections from forming.
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Automatic Root Node Selection
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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The automatic selection of a root node involves an election process amongst
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all idle nodes based on their signal strengths with the router. Each idle node
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will transmit their MAC addresses and router RSSI values via Wi-Fi beacon frames.
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**The MAC address is used to uniquely identify each node in the network** whilst
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the **router RSSI** is used to indicate a node's signal strength with reference to
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the router.
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Each node will then simultaneously scan for the beacon frames from other idle nodes.
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If a node detects a beacon frame with a stronger router RSSI, the node will begin
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transmitting the contents of that beacon frame (i.e. voting for the node with
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the stronger router RSSI). The process of transmission and scanning will repeat
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for a preconfigured minimum number of iterations (10 iterations by default) and result
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in the beacon frame with the strongest router RSSI being propagated throughout
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the network.
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After all iterations, each node will individually check for its **vote percentage**
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(``number of votes/number of nodes participating in election``) to determine if it should become the
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root node. **If a node has a vote percentage larger than a preconfigured threshold
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(90% by default), the node will become a root node**.
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The following diagram demonstrates how an ESP-MESH network is built when the root
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node is automatically selected.
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.. figure:: ../../_static/mesh-root-node-election-example.png
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:align: center
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:alt: Diagram of Root Node Election Process Example
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:figclass: align-center
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Root Node Election Example
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**1.** On power-on reset, each node begins transmitting beacon frames consisting
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of their own MAC addresses and their router RSSIs.
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**2.** Over multiple iterations of transmission and scanning, the beacon frame
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with the strongest router RSSI is propagated throughout the network. Node C has
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the strongest router RSSI (-10db) hence its beacon frame is propagated throughout the
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network. All nodes participating in the election vote for node C thus giving node
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C a vote percentage of 100%. Therefore node C becomes a root node and connects with
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the router.
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**3.** Once Node C has connected with the router, nodes A/B/D/E connect
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with node C as it is the preferred parent node (i.e. the shallowest node). Nodes
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A/B/D/E form the second layer of the network.
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**4.** Node F and G connect with nodes D and E respectively and the network building
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process is complete.
|
|
|
|
.. note::
|
|
The minimum number of iterations for the election process can be configured
|
|
using :cpp:func:`esp_mesh_set_attempts`. Users should adjust the number
|
|
of iterations based on the number of nodes within the network (i.e. the larger
|
|
the network the larger number of scan iterations required).
|
|
|
|
.. warning::
|
|
**Vote percentage threshold** can also be configured using
|
|
:cpp:func:`esp_mesh_set_vote_percentage`. Setting a low vote percentage
|
|
threshold **can result in two or more nodes becoming root nodes** within the
|
|
same ESP-MESH network leading to the building of multiple networks. If
|
|
such is the case, ESP-MESH has internal mechanisms to autonomously resolve
|
|
the **root node conflict**. The networks of the multiple root nodes will be
|
|
combined into a single network with a single root node. However, root node
|
|
conflicts where two or more root nodes have the same router SSID but different
|
|
router BSSID are not handled.
|
|
|
|
User Designated Root Node
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
The root node can also be designated by user which will entail the designated root node
|
|
to directly connect with the router and forgo the election process. When a root
|
|
node is designated, all other nodes within the network must also forgo the election
|
|
process to prevent the occurrence of a root node conflict. The following diagram demonstrates
|
|
how an ESP-MESH network is built when the root node is designated by the user.
|
|
|
|
.. figure:: ../../_static/mesh-root-node-designated-example.png
|
|
:align: center
|
|
:alt: Diagram of Root Node Designation Process Example
|
|
:figclass: align-center
|
|
|
|
Root Node Designation Example (Root Node = A, Max Layers = 4)
|
|
|
|
**1.** Node A is designated the root node by the user therefore directly connects
|
|
with the router. All other nodes forgo the election process.
|
|
|
|
**2.** Nodes C/D connect with node A as their preferred parent node. Both
|
|
nodes form the second layer of the network.
|
|
|
|
**3.** Likewise, nodes B/E connect with node C, and node F connects with
|
|
node D. Nodes B/E/F form the third layer of the network.
|
|
|
|
**4.** Node G connects with node E, forming the fourth layer of the network.
|
|
However the maximum permitted number of layers in this network is configured as
|
|
four, therefore node G becomes a leaf node to prevent any new layers from forming.
|
|
|
|
.. note::
|
|
When designating a root node, the root node should call :cpp:func:`esp_mesh_set_parent`
|
|
in order to directly connect with the router. Likewise, all other nodes should
|
|
call :cpp:func:`esp_mesh_fix_root` to forgo the election process.
|
|
|
|
Parent Node Selection
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
By default, ESP-MESH is self organizing meaning that each node will autonomously
|
|
select which potential parent node to form an upstream connection with. The autonomously
|
|
selected parent node is known as the preferred parent node. The criteria used for
|
|
selecting the preferred parent node is designed to reduce the number of layers in
|
|
the ESP-MESH network and to balance the number of downstream connections between
|
|
potential parent nodes (see section on `Preferred Parent Node`_).
|
|
|
|
However ESP-MESH also allows users to disable self-organizing behavior which will
|
|
allow users to define their own criteria for parent node selection, or to configure
|
|
nodes to have designated parent nodes (see the
|
|
:example:`Mesh Manual Networking Example<mesh/manual_networking>`).
|
|
|
|
Asynchronous Power-on Reset
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
ESP-MESH network building can be affected by the order in which nodes power-on.
|
|
If certain nodes within the network power-on asynchronously (i.e. separated by
|
|
several minutes), **the final structure of the network could differ from the ideal
|
|
case where all nodes are powered on synchronously**. Nodes that are delayed in
|
|
powering on will adhere to the following rules:
|
|
|
|
**Rule 1:** If a root node already exists in the network, the delayed node will
|
|
not attempt to elect a new root node, even if it has a stronger RSSI with the router.
|
|
The delayed node will instead join the network like any other idle node by connecting
|
|
with a preferred parent node. If the delayed node is the designated root node,
|
|
all other nodes in the network will remain idle until the delayed node powers-on.
|
|
|
|
**Rule 2:** If a delayed node forms an upstream connection and becomes an intermediate
|
|
parent node, it may also become the new preferred parent of other nodes (i.e. being
|
|
a shallower node). This will cause the other nodes to switch their upstream connections
|
|
to connect with the delayed node (see `Parent Node Switching`_).
|
|
|
|
**Rule 3:** If an idle node has a designated parent node which is delayed in powering-on,
|
|
the idle node will not attempt to form any upstream connections in the absence of
|
|
its designated parent node. The idle node will remain idle indefinitely until its
|
|
designated parent node powers-on.
|
|
|
|
The following example demonstrates the effects of asynchronous power-on with regards
|
|
to network building.
|
|
|
|
.. figure:: ../../_static/mesh-asynchronous-power-on-example.png
|
|
:align: center
|
|
:alt: Diagram of Asynchronous Power On Example
|
|
:figclass: align-center
|
|
|
|
Network Building with Asynchronous Power On Example
|
|
|
|
**1.** Nodes A/C/D/F/G/H are powered-on synchronously and begin the root
|
|
node election process by broadcasting their MAC addresses and router RSSIs. Node
|
|
A is elected as the root node as it has the strongest RSSI.
|
|
|
|
**2.** Once node A becomes the root node, the remaining nodes begin forming upstream
|
|
connections layer by layer with their preferred parent nodes. The result is a network
|
|
with five layers.
|
|
|
|
**3.** Node B/E are delayed in powering-on but neither attempt to become the root
|
|
node even though they have stronger router RSSIs (-20db and -10db) compared to
|
|
node A. Instead both delayed nodes form upstream connections with their preferred
|
|
parent nodes A and C respectively. Both Nodes B/E become intermediate parent nodes
|
|
after connecting.
|
|
|
|
**4.** Nodes D/G switch their upstream connections as node B is the new preferred
|
|
parent node due to it being on a shallower layer (second layer node). Due to the
|
|
switch, the resultant network has three layers instead of the original five layers.
|
|
|
|
**Synchronous Power-On:** Had all nodes powered-on synchronously, node E would
|
|
have become the root node as it has the strongest router RSSI (-10db). This
|
|
would result in a significantly different network layout compared to the network
|
|
formed under the conditions of asynchronous power-on. **However the synchronous
|
|
power-on network layout can still be reached if the user manually switches the
|
|
root node** (see :cpp:func:`esp_mesh_waive_root`).
|
|
|
|
.. note::
|
|
Differences in parent node selection caused by asynchronous power-on are
|
|
autonomously corrected for to some extent in ESP-MESH (see `Parent Node Switching`_)
|
|
|
|
Loop-back Avoidance, Detection, and Handling
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
A loop-back is the situation where a particular node forms an upstream connection
|
|
with one of its descendant nodes (a node within the particular node's subnetwork).
|
|
This results in a circular connection path thereby breaking the tree topology.
|
|
ESP-MESH prevents loop-back during parent selection by excluding nodes already
|
|
present in the selecting node's routing table (see `Routing Tables`_) thus prevents
|
|
a particular node from attempting to connect to any node within its subnetwork.
|
|
|
|
In the event that a loop-back occurs, ESP-MESH utilizes a path verification
|
|
mechanism and energy transfer mechanism to detect the loop-back occurrence. The
|
|
parent node of the upstream connection that caused the loop-back will then inform
|
|
the child node of the loop-back and initiate a disconnection.
|
|
|
|
.. -------------------------- Network Management ------------------------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mesh-managing-a-network:
|
|
|
|
Managing a Network
|
|
------------------
|
|
|
|
**ESP-MESH is a self healing network meaning it can detect and correct for failures
|
|
in network routing**. Failures occur when a parent node with one or more child
|
|
nodes breaks down, or when the connection between a parent node and its child nodes
|
|
becomes unstable. Child nodes in ESP-MESH will autonomously select a new parent
|
|
node and form an upstream connection with it to maintain network interconnectivity.
|
|
ESP-MESH can handle both Root Node Failures and Intermediate Parent Node Failures.
|
|
|
|
Root Node Failure
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
If the root node breaks down, the nodes connected with it (second layer nodes)
|
|
will promptly detect the failure of the root node. The second layer nodes
|
|
will initially attempt to reconnect with the root node. However after multiple failed
|
|
attempts, the second layer nodes will initialize a new round of root node election.
|
|
**The second layer node with the strongest router RSSI will be elected as the new
|
|
root node** whilst the remaining second layer nodes will form an upstream connection
|
|
with the new root node (or a neighboring parent node if not in range).
|
|
|
|
If the root node and multiple downstream layers simultaneously break down (e.g.
|
|
root node, second layer, and third layer), the shallowest layer that is still
|
|
functioning will initialize the root node election. The following example illustrates
|
|
an example of self healing from a root node break down.
|
|
|
|
.. figure:: ../../_static/mesh-root-node-failure.png
|
|
:align: center
|
|
:alt: Diagram of Self Healing From Root Node Failure
|
|
:figclass: align-center
|
|
|
|
Self Healing From Root Node Failure
|
|
|
|
**1.** Node C is the root node of the network. Nodes A/B/D/E are second layer
|
|
nodes connected to node C.
|
|
|
|
**2.** Node C breaks down. After multiple failed attempts to reconnect, the second
|
|
layer nodes begin the election process by broadcasting their router RSSIs. Node
|
|
B has the strongest router RSSI.
|
|
|
|
**3.** Node B is elected as the root node and begins accepting downstream
|
|
connections. The remaining second layer nodes A/D/E form upstream connections with
|
|
node B thus the network is healed and can continue operating normally.
|
|
|
|
.. note::
|
|
If a designated root node breaks down, the remaining nodes **will not autonomously
|
|
attempt to elect a new root node** as an election process will never be attempted
|
|
whilst a designated root node is used.
|
|
|
|
Intermediate Parent Node Failure
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
If an intermediate parent node breaks down, the disconnected child nodes will initially
|
|
attempt to reconnect with the parent node. After multiple failed attempts to reconnect,
|
|
each child node will begin to scan for potential parent nodes (see
|
|
`Beacon Frames & RSSI Thresholding`_).
|
|
|
|
If other potential parent nodes are available, each child node will individually
|
|
select a new preferred parent node (see `Preferred Parent Node`_) and form an upstream
|
|
connection with it. If there are no other potential parent nodes for a particular
|
|
child node, it will remain idle indefinitely.
|
|
|
|
The following diagram illustrates an example of self healing from an Intermediate
|
|
Parent Node break down.
|
|
|
|
.. figure:: ../../_static/mesh-parent-node-failure.png
|
|
:align: center
|
|
:alt: Diagram of Self Healing From Intermediate Parent Node Failure
|
|
:figclass: align-center
|
|
|
|
Self Healing From Intermediate Parent Node Failure
|
|
|
|
**1.** The following branch of the network consists of nodes A to G.
|
|
|
|
**2.** Node C breaks down. Nodes F/G detect the break down and attempt to
|
|
reconnect with node C. After multiple failed attempts to reconnect, nodes F/G begin
|
|
to select a new preferred parent node.
|
|
|
|
**3.** Node G is out of range from any other parent node hence remains idle for
|
|
the time being. Node F is in range of nodes B/E, however node B is selected as
|
|
it is the shallower node. Node F becomes an intermediate parent node after
|
|
connecting with Node B thus node G can connect with node F. The network is healed,
|
|
however the network routing as been affected and an extra layer has been added.
|
|
|
|
.. note::
|
|
If a child node has a designated parent node that breaks down, the child node
|
|
will make no attempt to connect with a new parent node. The child node will
|
|
remain idle indefinitely.
|
|
|
|
Root Node Switching
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
ESP-MESH does not automatically switch the root node unless the root node breaks down. Even
|
|
if the root node's router RSSI degrades to the point of disconnection, the root node
|
|
will remain unchanged. Root node switching is the act of explicitly starting
|
|
a new election such that a node with a stronger router RSSI will be elected as the
|
|
new root node. This can be a useful method of adapting to degrading root node performance.
|
|
|
|
To trigger a root node switch, the current root node must explicitly call :cpp:func:`esp_mesh_waive_root`
|
|
to trigger a new election. The current root node will signal all nodes within
|
|
the network to begin transmitting and scanning for beacon frames (see `Automatic
|
|
Root Node Selection`_) **whilst remaining connected to the network (i.e. not idle)**.
|
|
If another node receives more votes than the current root node, a root node switch
|
|
will be initiated. **The root node will remain unchanged otherwise**.
|
|
|
|
A newly elected root node sends a **switch request** to the current root node
|
|
which in turn will respond with an acknowledgment signifying both nodes are ready to
|
|
switch. Once the acknowledgment is received, the newly elected root node will
|
|
disconnect from its parent and promptly form an upstream connection with the router
|
|
thereby becoming the new root node of the network. The previous root node will
|
|
disconnect from the router **whilst maintaining all of its downstream connections**
|
|
and enter the idle state. The previous root node will then begin scanning for
|
|
potential parent nodes and selecting a preferred parent.
|
|
|
|
The following diagram illustrates an example of a root node switch.
|
|
|
|
.. figure:: ../../_static/mesh-root-node-switch-example.png
|
|
:align: center
|
|
:alt: Diagram of Root Node Switch Example
|
|
:figclass: align-center
|
|
|
|
Root Node Switch Example
|
|
|
|
**1.** Node C is the current root node but has degraded signal strength with the
|
|
router (-85db). The node C triggers a new election and all nodes begin transmitting
|
|
and scanning for beacon frames **whilst still being connected**.
|
|
|
|
**2.** After multiple rounds of transmission and scanning, node B is elected as
|
|
the new root node. Node B sends node C a **switch request** and node C responds
|
|
with an acknowledgment.
|
|
|
|
**3.** Node B disconnects from its parent and connects with the router becoming
|
|
the networks new root node. Node C disconnects from the router, enters the idle
|
|
state, and begins scanning for and selecting a new preferred parent node. **Node
|
|
C maintains all its downstream connections throughout this process**.
|
|
|
|
**4.** Node C selects node B as its preferred parent node, forms an upstream
|
|
connection, and becomes a second layer node. The network layout is similar after
|
|
the switch as node C still maintains the same subnetwork. However each node in
|
|
node C's subnetwork has been placed one layer deeper as a result of the switch.
|
|
`Parent Node Switching`_ may adjust the network layout afterwards if any nodes have
|
|
a new preferred parent node as a result of the root node switch.
|
|
|
|
.. note::
|
|
Root node switching must require an election hence is only supported when using
|
|
a self-organized ESP-MESH network. In other words, root node switching cannot
|
|
occur if a designated root node is used.
|
|
|
|
Parent Node Switching
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
Parent Node Switching entails a child node switching its upstream connection to
|
|
another parent node of a shallower layer. **Parent Node Switching occurs autonomously**
|
|
meaning that a child node will change its upstream connection automatically if a
|
|
potential parent node of a shallower layer becomes available (i.e. due to a
|
|
`Asynchronous Power-on Reset`_).
|
|
|
|
All potential parent nodes periodically transmit beacon frames (see `Beacon Frames
|
|
& RSSI Thresholding`_) allowing for a child node to scan for the availability of
|
|
a shallower parent node. Due to parent node switching, a self-organized ESP-MESH
|
|
network can dynamically adjust its network layout to ensure each connection has a good
|
|
RSSI and that the number of layers in the network is minimized.
|
|
|
|
.. --------------------------- Data Transmission ------------------------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mesh-data-transmission:
|
|
|
|
Data Transmission
|
|
-----------------
|
|
|
|
ESP-MESH Packet
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
ESP-MESH network data transmissions use ESP-MESH packets. ESP-MESH packets
|
|
are **entirely contained within the frame body of a Wi-Fi data frame**. A multi-hop
|
|
data transmission in an ESP-MESH network will involve a single ESP-MESH packet
|
|
being carried over each wireless hop by a different Wi-Fi data frame.
|
|
|
|
The following diagram shows the structure of an ESP-MESH packet and its relation
|
|
with a Wi-Fi data frame.
|
|
|
|
.. figure:: ../../_static/mesh-packet.png
|
|
:align: center
|
|
:alt: Diagram of ESP-MESH Packet
|
|
:figclass: align-center
|
|
|
|
ESP-MESH Packet
|
|
|
|
**The header** of an ESP-MESH packet contains the MAC addresses of the source and
|
|
destination nodes. The options field contains information pertaining to the special
|
|
types of ESP-MESH packets such as a group transmission or a packet originating
|
|
from the external IP network (see :c:macro:`MESH_OPT_SEND_GROUP` and
|
|
:c:macro:`MESH_OPT_RECV_DS_ADDR`).
|
|
|
|
**The payload** of an ESP-MESH packet contains the actual application data. This
|
|
data can be raw binary data, or encoded under an application layer protocol such
|
|
as HTTP, MQTT, and JSON (see :cpp:type:`mesh_proto_t`).
|
|
|
|
.. note::
|
|
When sending an ESP-MESH packet to the external IP network, the destination
|
|
address field of the header will contain the IP address and port of the target server
|
|
rather than the MAC address of a node (see :cpp:type:`mesh_addr_t`). Furthermore
|
|
the root node will handle the formation of the outgoing TCP/IP packet.
|
|
|
|
Group Control & Multicasting
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
Multicasting is a feature that allows a single ESP-MESH packet to be transmitted
|
|
simultaneously to multiple nodes within the network. Multicasting in ESP-MESH can
|
|
be achieved by either specifying a list of target nodes, or specifying a preconfigured
|
|
group of nodes. Both methods of multicasting are called via :cpp:func:`esp_mesh_send`.
|
|
|
|
To multicast by specifying a list of target nodes, users must first set the ESP-MESH
|
|
packet's destination address to the **Multicast-Group Address** (``01:00:5E:xx:xx:xx``).
|
|
This signifies that the ESP-MESH packet is a multicast packet with a group of addresses,
|
|
and that the address should be obtained from the header options. Users must then
|
|
list the MAC addresses of the target nodes as options (see :cpp:type:`mesh_opt_t`
|
|
and :c:macro:`MESH_OPT_SEND_GROUP`). This method of multicasting requires no prior
|
|
setup but can incur a large amount of overhead data as each target node's MAC address
|
|
must be listed in the options field of the header.
|
|
|
|
Multicasting by group allows a ESP-MESH packet to be transmitted to a preconfigured
|
|
group of nodes. Each grouping is identified by a unique ID, and a node can be placed
|
|
into a group via :cpp:func:`esp_mesh_set_group_id`. Multicasting to a group involves
|
|
setting the destination address of the ESP-MESH packet to the target group ID.
|
|
Furthermore, the :c:macro:`MESH_DATA_GROUP` flag must set. Using groups to multicast
|
|
incurs less overhead, but requires nodes to previously added into groups.
|
|
|
|
.. note::
|
|
During a multicast, all nodes within the network still receive the ESP-MESH
|
|
packet on the MAC layer. However, nodes not included in the MAC address list
|
|
or the target group will simply filter out the packet.
|
|
|
|
Broadcasting
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
Broadcasting is a feature that allows a single ESP-MESH packet to be transmitted
|
|
simultaneously to all nodes within the network. Each node essentially forwards
|
|
a broadcast packet to all of its upstream and downstream connections such that
|
|
the packet propagates throughout the network as quickly as possible. However,
|
|
ESP-MESH utilizes the following methods to avoid wasting bandwidth during a broadcast.
|
|
|
|
**1.** When an intermediate parent node receives a broadcast packet from its parent,
|
|
it will forward the packet to each of its child nodes whilst storing a copy of the
|
|
packet for itself.
|
|
|
|
**2.** When an intermediate parent node is the source node of the broadcast, it
|
|
will transmit the broadcast packet upstream to is parent node and downstream to
|
|
each of its child nodes.
|
|
|
|
**3.** When an intermediate parent node receives a broadcast packet from one of its
|
|
child nodes, it will forward the packet to its parent node and each of its remaining
|
|
child nodes whilst storing a copy of the packet for itself.
|
|
|
|
**4.** When a leaf node is the source node of a broadcast, it will directly
|
|
transmit the packet to its parent node.
|
|
|
|
**5.** When the root node is the source node of a broadcast, the root node will transmit
|
|
the packet to all of its child nodes.
|
|
|
|
**6.** When the root node receives a broadcast packet from one of its child nodes, it
|
|
will forward the packet to each of its remaining child nodes whilst storing a copy
|
|
of the packet for itself.
|
|
|
|
**7.** When a node receives a broadcast packet with a source address matching its
|
|
own MAC address, the node will discard the broadcast packet.
|
|
|
|
**8.** When an intermediate parent node receives a broadcast packet from its parent
|
|
node which was originally transmitted from one of its child nodes, it will discard
|
|
the broadcast packet
|
|
|
|
Upstream Flow Control
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
ESP-MESH relies on parent nodes to control the upstream data flow of their immediate
|
|
child nodes. To prevent a parent node's message buffer from overflowing due to an overload
|
|
of upstream transmissions, a parent node will allocate a quota for upstream transmissions
|
|
known as a **receiving window** for each of its child nodes. **Each child node must
|
|
apply for a receiving window before it is permitted to transmit upstream**. The size
|
|
of a receiving window can be dynamically adjusted. An upstream transmission from
|
|
a child node to the parent node consists of the following steps:
|
|
|
|
**1.** Before each transmission, the child node sends a window request to its parent
|
|
node. The window request consists of a sequence number which corresponds to the child
|
|
node's data packet that is pending transmission.
|
|
|
|
**2.** The parent node receives the window request and compares the sequence number
|
|
with the sequence number of the previous packet sent by the child node. The comparison
|
|
is used to calculate the size of the receiving window which is transmitted back
|
|
to the child node.
|
|
|
|
**3.** The child node transmits the data packet in accordance with the window size
|
|
specified by the parent node. If the child node depletes its receiving window, it
|
|
must obtain another receiving windows by sending a request before it is permitted
|
|
to continue transmitting.
|
|
|
|
.. note::
|
|
ESP-MESH does not support any downstream flow control.
|
|
|
|
.. warning::
|
|
Due to `Parent Node Switching`_, packet loss may occur during upstream
|
|
transmissions.
|
|
|
|
Due to the fact that the root node acts as the sole interface to an external IP
|
|
network, it is critical that downstream nodes are aware of the root node's connection
|
|
status with the external IP network. Failing to do so can lead to nodes attempting
|
|
to pass data upstream to the root node whilst it is disconnected from the IP network.
|
|
This results in unnecessary transmissions and packet loss. ESP-MESH address this
|
|
issue by providing a mechanism to stabilize the throughput of outgoing data based
|
|
on the connection status between the root node and the external IP network. The root
|
|
node can broadcast its external IP network connection status to all other nodes
|
|
by calling :cpp:func:`esp_mesh_post_toDS_state`.
|
|
|
|
Bi-Directional Data Stream
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
The following diagram illustrates the various network layers involved in an ESP-MESH
|
|
Bidirectional Data Stream.
|
|
|
|
.. figure:: ../../_static/mesh-bidirectional-data-stream.png
|
|
:align: center
|
|
:alt: Diagram of ESP-MESH Bidirectional Data Stream
|
|
:figclass: align-center
|
|
|
|
ESP-MESH Bidirectional Data Stream
|
|
|
|
Due to the use of `Routing Tables`_, **ESP-MESH is able to handle pack forwarding
|
|
entirely on the mesh layer**. A TCP/IP layer is only required on the root
|
|
node when it transmits/receives a packet to/from an external IP network.
|
|
|
|
.. ------------------------------ Performance ---------------------------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mesh-network-performance:
|
|
|
|
Performance
|
|
-----------
|
|
|
|
The performance of an ESP-MESH network can be evaluated based on multiple metrics
|
|
such as the following:
|
|
|
|
**Network Building Time:** The amount of time taken to build an ESP-MESH network from
|
|
scratch.
|
|
|
|
**Healing Time:** The amount of time taken for the network to detect a node break
|
|
down and carry out appropriate actions to heal the network (such as generating a
|
|
new root node or forming new connections).
|
|
|
|
**Per-hop latency:** The latency of data transmission over one wireless hop. In
|
|
other words, the time taken to transmit a data packet from a parent node to a
|
|
child node or vice versa.
|
|
|
|
**Network Node Capacity:** The total number of nodes the ESP-MESH network can simultaneously
|
|
support. This number is determined by the maximum number of downstream connections
|
|
a node can accept and the maximum number of layers permissible in the network.
|
|
|
|
The following table lists the common performance figures of an ESP-MESH network.
|
|
However users should note that performance numbers can vary greatly between
|
|
installations based on network configuration and operating environment.
|
|
|
|
+-------------------------+------------------------------------+
|
|
| Function | Description |
|
|
+=========================+====================================+
|
|
|Networking Building Time | < 60 seconds |
|
|
+-------------------------+------------------------------------+
|
|
|Healing time | Root Node Break Down: < 10 seconds |
|
|
| | |
|
|
| | Child Node Break Down: < 5 seconds |
|
|
+-------------------------+------------------------------------+
|
|
|Per-hop latency | 10 to 30 milliseconds |
|
|
+-------------------------+------------------------------------+
|
|
|
|
.. note::
|
|
The following test conditions were used to generate the performance figures
|
|
above.
|
|
|
|
- Number of test devices: **100**
|
|
- Maximum Downstream Connections to Accept: **6**
|
|
- Maximum Permissible Layers: **6**
|
|
|
|
.. note::
|
|
Throughput depends on packet error rate and hop count.
|
|
|
|
.. note::
|
|
The throughput of root node's access to the external IP network is directly
|
|
affected by the number of nodes in the ESP-MESH network and the bandwidth of
|
|
the router.
|
|
|
|
.. ----------------------------- Further Notes --------------------------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mesh-further-notes:
|
|
|
|
Further Notes
|
|
-------------
|
|
|
|
- Data transmission uses Wi-Fi WPA2-PSK encryption
|
|
|
|
- Mesh networking IE uses AES encryption
|
|
|
|
|
|
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