A network device operates as a node in a wireless mesh communication network. The device includes a wireless communication interface to couple the device to adjacent nodes via respective direct communication links in a phased repeating geometry. The device employs a phased synchronization within the wireless mesh communication network to transmit multiple packets and create overlapping network coverage of a geographic space. The device receives a first packet from a first node during a first phase, a second packet from a second node during a second phase, and applies an exclusive- or operation to the first packet and the second packet to generate a third packet, and sends the third packet to a first adjacent node and a second adjacent node during the third phase. In a second instance, the device applies an exclusive-or operation to a first phase packet and a second phase packet to retrieve a third phase packet.