User's Manual

Rajant Corporation BreadCrumb® ME4 v11 User Guide
03-100126-011 Version 11.0.0
1.2 Mobility through Meshing
The key component of a BreadCrumb network is the ability for BreadCrumbs to connect, or Mesh with
each other. While this is generally handled automatically by BreadCrumbs, complex deployment
scenarios require a basic understanding of how BreadCrumbs establish and maintain a mesh.
1.2.1 Mesh – A Definition
A Mesh is a collection of BreadCrumbs (or other network devices), each of which is linked to one or
more other BreadCrumbs. Data can move between BreadCrumbs via these links, possibly passing
through several intermediate BreadCrumbs before arriving at its final destination.
The intelligence of a BreadCrumb network is in how it adapts rapidly to the creation or destruction of
the links in the mesh as devices are moved, switched OFF or ON, blocked by obstructions, interfered
with by other devices, or otherwise affected. This adaptation takes place automatically and immediately
as needed.
1.2.2 BreadCrumb Mesh Connections
In order for two BreadCrumbs to establish a mesh link to each other, they must be set to the same radio
channel, and have the same Network ID. The Network ID is computed from the BreadCrumb's Network
Name, Network Key, and a collection of Crypto settings. The Network Name is simply a name for a
Mesh network. By default, BreadCrumbs use the Network Name "Rajant Mesh Network”. The
Network Key is a passphrase or key used to secure the network. The Crypto settings include a packet
cipher, MAC cipher, per-hop authentication, and a key sequence number. All of these settings on the
BreadCrumbs can be configured using BC|Commander v11. The Crypto settings can only be configured
if the application is logged into the BreadCrumbs using Crypto Officer credentials.
Note
Version 10 firmware uses the BreadCrumb's primary ESSID instead of the Network
Name to form Mesh links.
9