Monday, October 24, 2011

Wireless Mesh Network (WMN)

In WMNs, nodes are comprised of mesh routers and mesh clients.
A WMN is dynamically self-organized and self-configured.

WMNs consist of two types of nodes:

  • mesh routers
  • mesh clients
Architecture of WMNs:
  • Infrastructure/Backbone WMNs
  • Client WMNs
  • Hybrid WMNs
Characteristics of WMNs:
  • Multi-hop wireless network
  • Support for ad hoc networking, and capability of self-forming, self-healing, and self-organization
  • Mobility dependence on the type of mesh modes
  • Multiple types of network access
  • Dependence of power-consumption constraints on the type of mesh nodes
  • Compatibility and inter-operability with existing wireless networks
Advantages of WMNs compared to Ad hoc:
  • Wireless infrastructure/backbone
  • Integration
  • Dedicated routing and configuration
  • Multiple radios
  • Mobility
Critical factors influencing network performance:
  • Radio techniques
  • Scalability
  • Mesh connectivity
  • Broadband and QoS
  • Compatibility and inter-operability
  • Security
  • Ease of use
MAC protocols for WMNs have the following differences compared to classical counterparts for wireless networks:
  • MAC for WMNs is concerned with more than one hop communication
  • MAC is distributed and cooperative and works for multipoint-to-multipoint communication
  • Network self-organization is needed for the MAC.
  • Mobility affects the performance of MAC.
Open research issues:
  • Scalability
  • Self-organization and self-configuration
  • Security
  • Network integration

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