---
title: "What are the differences between a ring topology and a mesh topology?"  
description: "What are the differences between a ring topology and a mesh topology?"  
author: "Sandra Emily"  
published: 2022-05-31  
canonical: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/97708/what-are-the-differences-between-a-ring-topology-and-a-mesh-topology  
category: "troubleshooting"  
tags: ["troubleshooting", "topology", "networking"]  
reading_time: 1 minute  

---

# What are the differences between a ring topology and a mesh topology?

What are the [differences](https://www.mindstick.com/blog/300750/what-is-the-link-between-resting-metabolic-rate-and-basal-metabolic-rate) between a [ring topology](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/97713/when-is-ring-topology-used) and a mesh topology?

## Answers

### Answer by Hitesh Vohra

- Every node in a **ring topology** is linked to its left and right side nodes. **Mesh topology** connects nodes completely via dedicated link.
- Ring topology has a low cost. Mesh topology is expensive.
- If there are N nodes, there are N links in ring topology. If there are N nodes, there are N(N-1)/2 links in Mesh topology.
- In ring topology, information travels in one direction from node to node in a ring. Information travels from node to node in a mesh topology.
- The ring topology is not very extensible. Mesh topology is also limited in its extensibility.
- Mesh topology is commonly used for WAN. In LAN, ring topology is used.

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**Read More: [Is star topology better than mesh topology?](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/97707/is-star-topology-better-than-mesh-topology)**


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Original Source: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/97708/what-are-the-differences-between-a-ring-topology-and-a-mesh-topology

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