RightMesh are offering an easily implemented, software based network that can keep all of us connected for longer and, potentially, for less. Their network will allow smartphones, laptops and IoT devices to connect to one another in a self-forming, self-healing and self-regulated mesh network, sharing their internet and opening up the full potential of our devices’ connectivity.
Such a network won’t rely on centralised servers for data transmission. Instead the infrastructure is one we all carry around with us everyday, our smart phones. A few lines of code inserted into any app on your phone allows you to connect to this network, and after that you choose how much of a part you play. You can be just a user for your benefit or one of a few levels of node benefiting others and allowing you to earn from the network. You can also be an internet provider and sell your excess bandwidth to others on the network.
You can set the price on your data and others can set the maximum price they’re willing to pay, although, you won’t get fiat currency for your earnings. As with all decentralised networks your earnings will come in the ecosystems native currency, and here that’s MESH. MESH is an ERC20 token, meaning that the network runs on top of the ethereum blockchain. Therefore, payments on the network will be recorded on an immutable record and will also be written into smart contracts, meaning transactions will only be made if they meet the terms you have specified. It is not just data that is going to be available for sale and purchase, you can sell many resources on the network: processing power, device storage and any services created by mesh participants deemed worth paying for by you. This creates a supply from the excess and allows us to use resources which would usually be unused and locked up in our own devices.
Data in this network is not just broadcast to every device on the network, instead it makes use of many identified pathways at once and spreads the load across multiple routes, first seeking out the paths with the least number of hops (devices). In time, the team hopes to be able to allow users to choose between this method and a cheapest route alternative. Your data is all pieced back together seamlessly at the end point with little to no latency created by the network. Crucially, this method means that even those at the fringes of the network can receive data at high speeds.
The network uses wifi, bluetooth and wifi direct to connect devices together, using all these methods to transfer the same data between devices. However, this new network won’t lack security, as RightMesh uses the Open Whisper/Signal library. this is the same encryption protocol used by WhatsApp and Google messaging app Allo. Currently the key is sent through the network, either with one intermediary party (most secure method) or more than one intermediary party (less secure). The team are currently working on 2D barcodes (think QR codes) and NFC technology (think contactless payment) in order for two devices to transfer the key without any third parties involved. They are also working on splitting the key and sending it over multiple devices so that any attacker would simultaneously have to compromise multiple devices across the network.
The software development kit is free for developers, and the few simple lines of code can be put into the codebase and run in the background of any app. Every user and node in the network need not have the same app to run on this network, so long as one of the apps on your device has the RightMesh code in it you can transfer any of the data onto the next node, no matter which app you or they may have. This allows for much quicker adoption than most traditional, single app ideas, meaning that fast, widespread adoption is highly likely. The chance of this is enhanced by the fact that the technology in your hand never needs to be rooted (jailbroken), making all hardware already compatible with this network.
The technology that this software is based on is already available and affordable to a huge amount of people worldwide, but many of these people are in developing countries and are priced out of the market by current data and telephone plan pricing. This software will give them a window into the connected web of modern society and the internet. This technology could also be used in an area where the infrastructure for phone and data services just doesn’t exist. Here RightMesh would allow residents and visitors to connect to each other without the presence of the centralised providers we currently rely on. This network could also be utilised during disaster relief efforts when traditional infrastructure has been severally damaged or destroyed, leaving people without a connection.
This network will open up new consumers to advertisers and publishers whom will need to purchase MESH tokens in order to access this market. These consumers will be able to consume adverts and content in order to get their desired data subsided at a much lower rate or even paid for by the advertiser. Companies can also choose to have their ads viewed offline, by having them stored on the consumers devices. As payment for this MESH will be deducted from their account, and with every play recorded on the blockchain there will be complete transparency for these transactions.
We’ve managed to remove corporations from our applications with blockchain technology but we still rely on miners and nodes. With RightMesh neither of these are necessary for the network to operate, making it a truly decentralised network. The core technology for RightMesh is based on multiple provisional patents and is currently in private beta testing. At this moment the project only supports Android and some Java-enabled devices, with testing working for meshes of up to 20 devices and testers running data transfers over distances of about 1000ft using just 5 devices. In a network that strengthens with density these numbers are only a peek at what this network can offer. You can bet that wider platform integration is scheduled further down the road, and with a 40+ person team working hard on it right now I’m sure we’ll see something tangible coming out of RightMesh pretty soon.