Network Architecture

Mass Mesh is building a distributed, peer-to-peer network. All of our mesh nodes contribute to the health of their neighborhood network by relaying traffic and/or providing public access to the network.

Networks -- The Basics

Everything we use on the Internet exists in a network. In fact, everything connected to the Internet probably exists in 'many' networks simultaneously. In general, a networked computer is connected to at least two networks: LAN and WAN. For instance, when you connect to a Chromecast in your living room, you connect your phone to the Chromecast over LAN. The Chromecast in turn streams content by accessing a content provider's servers (like Netflix) over WAN.

Note: A network can be a LAN and a WAN at the same time for different machines. If this is a little confusing, don't worry! The distinction will make sense as you continue reading.

Neighborhood Networks

Neighborhood networks are a network of mesh nodes that form a LAN that spans the whole neighborhood. In a neighborhood network, every node can talk to each-other using a network protocol. The protocol that we use to connect our mesh nodes is called Yggdrasil.