====== Introduction ======

 **MESHdesk** is used to centrally manage various Batman-adv based mesh networks and **APdesk** is used to centrally manage single Access Points.

  * If you just signed up a restaurant chain and need to supply WiFi country wide to their 75 locations, then **APdesk is your friend**. These locations are not large enough to justify a mesh network so you just place one Access Point in each branch. But you still need to centrally manage the Access Points deployed in each of these branches. APdesk allows you to manage these distributed Access Points as one group.

  * **APdesk** along with **MESHdesk** is included in **RADIUSdesk**.

  * Both **APdesk** and **MESHdesk** depend on the **MESHdesk** firmware.

The **MESHdesk** firmware has various modes it can be set to by using the **MESHdesk Node Config Utility**.

    * To use the firmware in **APdesk** we simply set the firmware in AP mode.

    * To use the firmware in **MESHdesk** we set the firmware in Mesh mode.


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  * We are not restricted to exclusively use **APdesk** or **MESHdesk** and we can use a combination of mesh networks and single Access Points to deliver our solution.

  * Should there be locations which require a mesh network due to the need for larger coverage, we can roll out a mesh network in these locations.

  * Both single Access Points and mesh networks can use common elements like **Realms**, **Dynamic Login Pages**, **Permanent Users** and **Vouchers**.

  * This allow you to choose which type of solution to provide at a location with the minimum duplication.

  * It also allow for easy upgrade or downgrade between the two.
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