Multi-Mesh: A Miniaturized Multi-Radio WLAN Mesh Testbed

As Industry 4.0 transforms industrial automation, the need for reliable, low-latency wireless communication is paramount. This paper presents Multi-Mesh, a miniaturized multi-radio IEEE 802.11s testbed, designed to address key challenges in industrial wireless networks. The testbed supports simultaneous data transmission across orthogonal channels, improving throughput and communication reliability. A key focus of this work is on experimental validation of advanced multi-path communication strategies and time synchronization mechanisms, both critical for robust industrial communication. By leveraging multiple radios, the testbed enables flexible exploration of redundancy and fault tolerance in mesh networks. Through comprehensive testing, the study demonstrates the testbed’s capability to evaluate and optimize future approaches to synchronization and multi-path strategies, providing a strong foundation for enhancing communication in Industry 4.0 environments.