ISPs will be able to construct fully open source Wi-Fi mesh networks with standardised application programming interfaces (APIs), allowing new services and features to be deployed faster and with better interoperability than before. The prpl Foundation and its service providers announced today a strong push to get its prplMesh open source Wi-Fi mesh software stack carrier-ready by the end of the year.
The Wi-Fi mesh design offers self-organizing and readily managed whole-home Wi-Fi coverage. ISPs will benefit from faster time to market and increased interoperability through shared implementations by aggressively unifying the community on standardised APIs and having all of this software available as an open source commodity. Third-party vendors will be able to build valuable apps and services on top of the Wi-Fi stack, and an ecosystem of these apps and services will be available across various customer-premises equipment (CPE) platforms.
prplMesh has a low-level, Linux-focused southbound API that enables chipset-agnostic multi-vendor interoperability as well as advancements in all current state-of-the-art Wi-Fi chips. A high-level northbound API provides carrier-grade manageability from both local and remote cloud apps and services, as well as platform-agnostic porting to common router platforms like prplOS and RDK-B. By decreasing reliance on vendor-proprietary components, prplMesh will enable speedier time-to-market for new apps and services.
End customers will get access to a highly manageable home network via personal mobile apps, as well as expert-level management from their service provider via remote cloud agents.
This 2022 prplMesh acceleration, in partnership with SoftAtHome, builds on the introduction of prplMesh v2 and follows the successful 2021 prplOS acceleration, which manages other CPE services. prplMesh is already in use in the field, and this acceleration in 2022 will add value to the ecosystem. This includes the following:
- Compliant with the Wi-Fi Alliance’s latest EasyMeshTM protocol features in Releases R3, R4, and R5.
- The Wi-Fi Alliance has standardised Data ElementsTM for remote troubleshooting.
- Support for third-party smart Wi-Fi providers (e.g. intelligent self-organizing fronthaul and backhaul links to adapt to the unique environment in each subscriber’s home)
- Support for third-party smart Wi-Fi providers (e.g. intelligent self-organizing fronthaul and backhaul links to adapt to the unique environment in each subscriber’s home)
- Support for latest Wi-Fi 6E Tri-Band capabilities, including several new channels in the 6GHz band
- IPTV multicast capabilities
