Routing Modes

Routing Modes

µMesh supports two routing modes configured by umesh_cfg_t.routing.

1) Distance Vector (UMESH_ROUTING_DISTANCE_VECTOR)

How it works:

• Nodes exchange route updates periodically
• Each node keeps best next-hop route to known destinations
• Metric combines hop cost and link quality

Best for:

• General mesh traffic
• Mixed source/destination patterns
• Stable small-to-medium topologies

Pros:

• Mature default mode
• Handles arbitrary destination routing

Tradeoffs:

• Convergence depends on route update intervals

2) Gradient (UMESH_ROUTING_GRADIENT)

How it works:

• Coordinator emits gradient beacons
• Each node computes distance-to-coordinator
• Uplink traffic forwards to neighbor with lower distance

Best for:

• Sensor networks (many nodes -> one coordinator)
• Telemetry collection and low-complexity uplink

Pros:

• Very simple forwarding logic for upstream traffic
• Good fit for periodic sensor payloads

Tradeoffs:

• Optimized for coordinator-destined traffic
• Needs beacon convergence before routing is ready

Which one should I choose?

• Choose Distance Vector for general-purpose mesh communication.
• Choose Gradient for sensor aggregation to one coordinator.

Related settings

• gradient_beacon_ms
• gradient_jitter_max_ms
• umesh_gradient_distance()
• umesh_gradient_refresh()