Wireless connectivity is rapidly becoming ubiquitous and affordable. As a consequence, most wireless devices are nowadays equipped with multi-connectivity, that is, availability of multiple radio access technologies (RATs). Each of these RATs has different characteristics that can be suitably utilized for different connectivity tasks. For example, a long-range low-rate RAT can be used for topology management and coordination, whereas a short-range high-rate RAT for data transmission. In this paper, we introduce a distributed consensus protocol for the hierarchical organization of Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) with devices using multiple RATs. Our protocol considers three hierarchical roles after the initial setup: Master, cluster head (CH), and cluster member (CM). The Master coordinates the use of all RATs, whereas the CHs coordinate all but the RAT with the longest transmission range. The initial setup takes place immediately after powering on the devices, after which the devices self-organize in a distributed manner by means of a consensus to elect the Masters and CHs. The resulting interconnected structure is based on the connectivity graphs created with the different RATs. The distributed consensus protocol operates with a minimal amount of network information and demonstrates high networking performance.
This paper discusses the design, implementation and field trials of WiMesh - a resilient Wireless Mesh Network (WMN) based disaster communication system purpose-built for underdeveloped and rural parts of the world. Mesh networking is a mature area, and the focus of this paper is not on proposing novel models, protocols or other mesh solutions. Instead, the paper focuses on the identification of important design considerations and justifications for several design trade offs in the context of mesh networking for disaster communication in developing countries with very limited resources. These …
Bristol Research and Innovation Laboratory, Toshiba Europe Ltd.（东芝欧洲有限公司布里斯托尔研究与创新实验室）
Mobile robots have disrupted the material handling industry which is witnessing radical changes. The requirement for enhanced automation across various industry segments often entails mobile robotic systems operating in logistics facilities with little/no infrastructure. In such environments, out-of-box low-cost robotic solutions are desirable. Wireless connectivity plays a crucial role in successful operation of such mobile robotic systems. A wireless mesh network of mobile robots is an attractive solution; however, a number of system-level challenges create unique and stringent service requi…
In this work, we consider latency in wireless networks, motivated by the need for reliable and low-latency wireless communication for applications such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and industrial automation. The environment that these applications operate in is often highly dynamic, and, as a result, the wireless network technology used needs to be able to adapt to changing conditions, which makes mesh networking a good fit. Hence, in this work, we consider Thread and Bluetooth Mesh, two prominent mesh networking technologies. We measure one-way point-to-point latency using these techno…
In this paper we discuss the state of the art of (mobile) multi-hop ad hoc networking with the aim to present the current status of the research activities and identify the consolidated research areas, with limited research opportunities, and the hot and emerging research areas for which further research is required. We start by briefly discussing the MANET paradigm, and why the research on MANET protocols is now a cold research topic. Then we analyze the active research areas. Specifically, after discussing the wireless-network technologies we analyze four successful ad hoc networking paradig…
Recently, mesh networking and blockchain are two of the hottest technologies in the telecommunications industry. Combining both can reformulate internet access and make connecting to the Internet not only easy, but affordable too. Hyperledger Fabric (HLF) is a blockchain framework implementation and one of the Hyperledger projects hosted by The Linux Foundation. We evaluate HLF in a real production mesh network and in the laboratory, quantify its performance, bottlenecks and limitations of the current implementation. We identify the opportunities for improvement to serve the needs of wireless …
As radio spectrum usage paradigm moving from the traditional command and control allocation scheme to the open spectrum allocation scheme, wireless networks meet new opportunities and challenges. In this article we introduce the concept of cognitive wireless mesh (CogMesh) networks and address the unique problem in such a network. CogMesh is a self-organized distributed network architecture combining cognitive technologies with the mesh structure in order to provide a uniform service platform over a wide range of networks. It is based on dynamic spectrum access (DSA) and featured by self-organ…
Decentralization, in the form of mesh networking and blockchain, two promising technologies, is coming to the telecommunications industry. Mesh networking allows wider low cost Internet access with infrastructures built from routers contributed by diverse owners, while blockchain enables transparency and accountability for investments, revenue or other forms of economic compensations from sharing of network traffic, content and services. Crowdsourcing network coverage, combined with crowdfunding costs, can create economically sustainable yet decentralized Internet access. This means every part…
In this paper we consider a Wireless Mesh Network (WMN) integrating SDN principles. The Wireless Mesh Routers (WMR) are OpenFlow capable switches that can be controlled by SDN controllers, according to the wmSDN (wireless mesh SDN) architecture that we have introduced in a previous work. We consider the issue of controller selection in a scenario with intermittent connectivity. We assume that over time a single WMN can become split in two or more partitions and that separate partitions can merge into a larger one. We assume that a set of SDN controllers can potentially take control of the WMRs…
Nowadays, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are being used in several novel applications, especially in the telecommunication domain. However, ensuring UAV communication and networking for the purpose of a specific application is still challenging. Indeed, due to the mobility of a UAV in a vast area, permanent connectivity over the back-haul is very sporadic and might be lost. In this paper, we consider an aerial mesh network where each UAV can serve as a flying base station to boost terrestrial base station in case of damaged infrastructure case for example, or/and provide connectivity for unco…
Wireless mesh networks (WMNs) have emerged as a promising concept to meet the challenges in next-generation wireless networks such as providing flexible, adaptive, and reconfigurable architecture while offering cost-effective solutions to service providers. As WMNs become an increasingly popular replacement technology for last-mile connectivity to the home networking, community and neighborhood networking, it is imperative to design efficient and secure communication protocols for these networks. However, several vulnerabilities exist in currently existing protocols for WMNs. These security lo…
Critical Comparative Analysis and Recommendation in MAC Protocols for Wireless Mesh Networks Using Multi-objective Optimization and Statistical Testing
针对 IEEE 802.11s WMN 的关键 MAC 问题，本文综述 MAC 协议及 QoS 参数，并提出结合多目标优化与统计检验的比较分析及协议推荐框架。
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are a rapidly emerging technology offering fast and cost-effective solutions for many areas, including public safety, surveillance, and wireless networks. However, due to the highly dynamic network topology of UAVs, traditional mesh networking protocols, such as the Better Approach to Mobile Ad-hoc Networking (B.A.T.M.A.N.), are unsuitable. To this end, we investigate modifying the B.A.T.M.A.N. routing protocol with a machine learning (ML) model and propose implementing this solution using federated learning (FL). This work aims to aid the routing protocol to le…
Wireless mesh networks (WMNs) are evolving as a key technology for next-generation wireless networks showing raid progress and numerous applications. These networks have the potential to provide robust and high-throughput data delivery to wireless users. In a WMN, high speed routers equipped with advanced antennas, communicate with each other in a multi-hop fashion over wireless channels and form a broadband backhaul. However, the throughput of a WMN may be severely degraded due to presence of some selfish routers that avoid forwarding packets for other nodes even as they send their own traffi…
In a wireless mesh network (WMN), high speed routers equipped with advanced antennas, communicate with each other in a multi-hop fashion over wireless channels and form a broadband backhaul. WMNs provide reliable connectivity and fault-tolerance, as each node is connected to several other nodes. If a node fails due to hardware problems, its neighbors can find another route. Extra capacity can be achieved by introducing additional nodes in the network. However, the throughput of a WMN may be severely degraded due to presence of some selfish routers that avoid forwarding packets for other nodes …
Wireless mesh networks (WMNs) have emerged as a key technology for next generation wireless broadband networks showing rapid progress and inspiring numerous compelling applications. A WMN comprises of a set of mesh routers (MRs) and mesh clients (MCs), where MRs are connected to the Internet backbone through the Internet gateways (IGWs). The MCs are wireless devices and communicate among themselves over possibly multi-hop paths with or without the involvement of MRs. User privacy and security have been primary concerns in WMNs due to their peer-to-peer network topology, shared wireless medium,…
Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) is one of the promising wireless networking approaches where a group of wireless devices can establish communication among themselves without any infrastructure. MANET has successfully been implemented in the emergency communication, battlefield and Vehicular Ad-hoc Network (VANET) etc. Recently, MANET has also been studied to establish village level off-the-grid telephony system using mobile phones (smartphones). As the mobile phones and other modern electronic devices are increasingly equipped with efficient wireless Wi-Fi devices, phone based MANET implementati…
