Mesh Vendors add 802.11n, VoIP to their feature list

Ruckus Wireless has added 802.11n capability to its newly released ZoneDirector 3000 which it calls a "smart wireless LAN (WLAN) controller" and could help in rolling out Wireless LANs quickly with minimal cabling.

Mesh capabilities add a level of flexibility that cannot be achieved by wired network; wireless meshed networking can create new network frameworks on the fly, closing gaps and repairing themselves without human intervention.

Ruckus also released a free software update which will convert existing ZoneFlex access points into Meshed devices and a spokesperson for the company reckons that the Smartmesh technology will allow "a new class of simple yet robust WLANs that self-organise, self-optimise and self-heal, eliminating costly, inconvenient cabling to every Wi-Fi access point and complex, labour-intensive RF planning".

Another company, Terranet, has plans to allow Voice over IP to be transported through its mesh structures and to use mobile phone handsets as wireless access points; something that remotely resembles what the XO (ex OLPC) laptop aimed to do in third world countries and areas devoid of proper wireless networks.