Reliability and Resiliancy of the mesh
Reliability is an important part of the Mesh, as with any Internet or communication network.
As a distributed network of nodes, NYC Mesh has several advantages and disadvantages compared to other internet networks in terms of reliability.
Advantages:
Distributed nodes and independent operation:
NYC Mesh uses a distributed network of nodes, with each node able to communicate with the other nodes around it. This means that the mesh network, or segments of the mesh network can work independently of each other or the greater Internet.
If the mesh were to loose connection with the rest of the Internet however, online services or websites hosted elsewhere on the internet will not be accessible, even if the mesh itself continues to operate.
Backup routes and dynamic routing:
The mesh network uses a protocol called OSPF
Disadvantages:
Large number of power sources required for operation:
Due to having such a large distributed network, there are hundreds of nodes around the city, all of which require power for the mesh network to remain fully online.
In more typical COAX or Fiber distributed networks, there is a central office / "head end" which connects via a network of passive splitters to routers/modems in users homes. This central office usually maintains a backup power supply capable of powering the entire network during an outage.
As long as the modems / fiber transceivers in each users homes remains powered, the network will remain online during an outage, as all the other splitters or signal boosters are powered from the central office / "head end".
In the mesh network, each node in the chain from the supernodes / data center to the members apartment needs to be powered for the network to remain online. (Unless there is a secondary backup route across the network also available)
This often involves a number of buildings powered from normal wall plugs in members apartments, which are unlikely to have backup power systems in place during a grid outage. Thus it is likely that a large number of mesh nodes will go offline during a grid outage situation, causing the network to be non-functional for many members.
Power reliability and redundancy:
Most NYC Mesh nodes typically rely on a power supply from either a members apartment or from a central location in the building they are located on top of. This power supply is subject to power outages or failures which would cause the node and all nodes reliant on it to go offline.
Many larger NYC Mesh hubs have UPS power supplies installed that can sustain the node during short power outages. These UPS supplies are typically 750VA (Volt Amps) models, which can sustain a typical NYC Mesh node for 45-120 minutes during a power outage.
Most NYC Mesh supernodes and data centers are located in buildings that have their own independent backup power supplies. A listing of these nodes and their backup power capacity is listed below.
Solar, batteries and small backup generators:
NYC Mesh does not currently have solar or battery backups on our nodes, except for a few small nodes where members have installed their own backup power systems.