Support for mesh networking is one of the defining battles of the wireless PAN (personal area network) standards race. It is the key advantage Google-backed Thread and the ZigBee Alliance claim over Bluetooth, though the Bluetooth SIG is adding mesh specifications this year. The best approach to mesh is hotly debated, but the technology is a way to extend the reach of a WPAN, physically and in terms of its targeted applications, and so to enhance the business case. One of the most important examples is the field area network (FAN), which blankets an area of operation, such as a city, factory or power plant, with wireless connectivity. The ZigBee Alliance calls this a neighbourhood area network (NAN) and last…