Wireless mesh network

About: Wireless mesh network is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 13600 publications have been published within this topic receiving 221035 citations. The topic is also known as: WMN.

New options and insights for survivable transport networks

Abstract: This article is devoted to a selection of recent topics in survivable networking. New ideas in capacity design and ring-to-mesh evolution are given, as well as a systematic comparison of the capacity requirements of several mesh-based schemes showing how they perform over a range of network graph connectivity. The work provides new options and insights to address the following questions. How does one evolve from an existing ring-based network to a future mesh network? If the facilities graph is very sparse, how can mesh efficiency be much better than rings? How do the options for mesh protection or restoration rank in capacity requirements? How much is efficiency increased if we enrich our network connectivity? We also outline p-cycles, showing this new concept can realize ring-like speed with meshlike efficiency. The scope is limited to conveying basic ideas with an understanding that they could be further adapted for use in IP or DWDM layers with GMPLS-type protocols or a centralized control plane.

Channel Allocation in 802.11-Based Mesh Networks

Abstract: IEEE 802.11 (WiFi) has been used beyond its original intended purpose of a tether-free LAN. In this paper, we are interested in the use of 802.11 in mesh networks. Specifically, we consider those which involve directional antennas and longdistance point-to-point links. In recent work, the 2P MAC protocol has been designed to suit such a network architecture. In this paper, we assume the use of the 2P MAC protocol in the links of the network, and consider the problem of link channel allocation. We first formulate the problem of minimizing the mismatch between link capacities desired by the network operator and that achieved under a channel allocation. We show that this problem is NP-hard. We then explore several heuristics for channel allocation and find a set of heuristics that achieve the optimal allocation in most scenarios.

Placement Optimization of Energy and Information Access Points in Wireless Powered Communication Networks

Abstract: The applications of wireless power transfer technology to wireless communications can help build a wireless powered communication network (WPCN) with more reliable and sustainable power supply compared to the conventional battery-powered network. However, due to the fundamental differences in wireless information and power transmissions, many important aspects of conventional battery-powered wireless communication networks need to be redesigned for efficient operations of WPCNs. In this paper, we study the placement optimization of energy and information access points in WPCNs, where the wireless devices (WDs) harvest the radio frequency energy transferred by dedicated energy nodes (ENs) in the downlink, and use the harvested energy to transmit data to information access points (APs) in the uplink. In particular, we are interested in minimizing the network deployment cost with minimum number of ENs and APs by optimizing their locations, while satisfying the energy harvesting and communication performance requirements of the WDs. Specifically, we first study the minimum-cost placement problem when the ENs and APs are separately located, where an alternating optimization method is proposed to jointly optimize the locations of ENs and APs. Then, we study the placement optimization when each pair of EN and AP is colocated and integrated as a hybrid access point, and propose an efficient algorithm to solve this problem. Simulation results show that the proposed methods can effectively reduce the network deployment cost and yet guarantee the given performance requirements, which is a key consideration in future applications of WPCNs.

mTreebone: A Collaborative Tree-Mesh Overlay Network for Multicast Video Streaming

Abstract: Recently, application-layer overlay networks have been suggested as a promising solution for live video streaming over the Internet. To organize a multicast overlay, a natural structure is a tree, which, however, is known vulnerable to end-hosts dynamics. Data-driven approaches address this problem by employing a mesh structure, which enables data exchanges among multiple neighbors, and thus, greatly improves the overlay resilience. It unfortunately suffers from an efficiency-delay trade-off, because data have to be pulled from mesh neighbors by using extra notifications periodically. In this paper, we closely examine the contributions of overlay nodes, and argue that performance of a mesh overlay closely depends on a small set of stable backbone nodes. This is validated through a real trace study on PPLive, the largest commercial application-layer live streaming system to date. Motivated by this observation, we then suggest a novel collaborative tree-mesh design that leverages both mesh and tree structures. The key idea is to identify a set of stable nodes to construct a tree-based backbone, called treebone, with most of the data being pushed over this backbone. These stable nodes, together with others, are further organized through an auxiliary mesh overlay, which facilitates the treebone to accommodate node dynamics and fully exploit the available bandwidth between overlay nodes. This hybrid design, referred to as mTreebone, brings a series of unique and critical design challenges. In particular, the identification of stable nodes and seamless data delivery using both push and pull methods. In this paper, we present optimized solutions to these problems, which reconcile the two overlays under a coherent framework with controlled overhead. We evaluate mTreebone through both simulations and PlanetLab experiments. The results demonstrate the superior efficiency and robustness of this hybrid solution in both static and dynamic scenarios.

Capacity bounds for three classes of wireless networks: asymmetric, cluster, and hybrid

Abstract: We present capacity results for three classes of wireless ad hoc networks, using a general framework that allows their unified treatment. The results hold with probability going to 1 as the number of nodes in the network approaches infinity, and under a general model for channel fading.We first study asymmetric networks that consist of n source nodes and around nd destination nodes, communicating over a wireless channel. Each source node creates data traffic that is directed to a destination node chosen at random. When ½ ‹ d ‹ 1, an aggregate throughput that increases with n as n½ is achievable. If, however, 0 ‹ d ‹ ½, bottlenecks are formed and the aggregate throughput can not increase faster than nd.We also consider cluster networks, that consist of n client nodes and around nd cluster heads, communicating over a wireless channel. Each of the clients wants to communicate with one of the cluster heads, but the particular choice of cluster head is not important. In this setting, the maximum aggregate throughput is on the order of nd, and it can be achieved with no transmissions taking place between client nodes.We conclude with the study of hybrid networks. These consist of n wireless nodes and around nd access points. The access points are equipped with wireless transceivers, but are also connected with each other through an independent network of infinite capacity. Their only task is to support the operation of the wireless nodes. When ½ ‹ d ‹ 1, an aggregate throughput on the order of nd is achievable, through the use of the infrastructure. If, however, 0 ‹ d ‹ ½, using the infrastructure offers no significant gain, and the wireless nodes can achieve an aggregate throughput on the order of n½ by using the wireless medium only.