Mesh networking uses a distributed routing approach. there is no centralized router, each node in the mesh can act as a router, forwarding data to other nodes. when I was joined up the the NYC mesh, I bought my own router and flashed it with open source firmware.

there are various approaches to routing tables and node discovery, too, including fully open and permissionless. they _can_ be closed (like for military purposes or something), but they can also be fully open as long as a node has compatible hardware.

open your mind a bit! it feels like you're very defensive about the topic...