Hi Ken,
Wireless Mesh is a different concept altogether, and it's really not intended to be used as a point-to-point bridge. Mesh is a way to deploy access points in an outdoor space or anywhere that's difficult to run a LAN cable to. This AP will use the 2.4GHz band for client connectivity, and it will send all backhaul traffic across the 5GHz link to another AP. As long as the 5GHz backhaul eventually finds a Mesh AP that is connected to the Ethernet network, it will have connectivity.
One of the best uses for Mesh is for large parking lots. You can mount an AP on a light pole, but you'd never want to run an Ethernet cable all the way out there. Instead, you'd use a Mesh AP and have the 5GHz radio pointed back at your office building, where another Mesh AP is plugged into the local network. So now your clients/customers can connect wirelessly to the AP in the parking lot, and the parking lot AP sends this data wirelessly to your building.
It's called Mesh because you can have a literal mesh of APs scattered across large regions, some of which are connected to the network, others of which are isolated with wireless backhauls. Cisco runs a proprietary algorithm for calculating the best path for traffic to flow to get to an AP with a network connection.
As for your question about a "cloud" company, it all depends on the design. You can install indoor APs that connect to antennas outside, and these can connect your clients. Mesh can be a better solution, but sometimes it's not needed when only small areas need to be covered. Plus, Mesh is far more expensive than a traditional design, especially since it requires wireless LAN controllers. But as for large areas like you're talking, such as roads and parks, Mesh is certainly the best way to go.
I hope that's more of what you're looking for. Let me know if you have any more questions!
Jeff
