Wireless Mesh Networking

Instructor: Prof. Samir R. Das

Affiliation: Computer Science Department, State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York

Duration: 25 hours

Period: May 29 - June 1, 2006

Place: Istituto di Informatica e Telematica, Via G. Moruzzi 1, Pisa, room B63, first floor building B, entrance 7

Credits: 6

Contacts: Dott. Marco Conti, Istituto di Informatica e Telematica, Italian National Research Council, Pisa

This activity is part of the Pisa International School on the Next Generation Internet.

Syllabus

• Introduction
• What is mesh networking?
• Why mesh networking?
• History: packet radio, ad hoc networks.
• Architectures and applications - last mile networking, community networking, sensor networking, targeted applications.
• Addressing the digital divide.
• Routing Issues
• Core challenges in dynamic routing
• Issues in wireless and mobile networks
• Dynamic routing protocols - proactive, reactive and hybrid
• Location-based routing
• Designing routing metrics
• Performance evaluation
• Link Layer Issues
• Basics of random access protocols. Random access vs. scheduled access.
• Carrier-sense multiple access (CSMA) and variations.
• IEEE 802.11 Standard.
• Association and handoff issues. Integration with routing.
• Limitations of 802.11 in multihop scenarios.
• Issue of interference.
• Performance evaluation.
• Use of multiple channels - multichannel MAC protocols.
• Use of multiple radios - channel assignment problem.
• Cross layer issues: joint channel assignment and routing.
• Physical Layer Issues
• Use of directional antenna
• Transmit power control
• Cross layer issues: protocols to utilize directional antennas and transmit power control
• Transport Protocol Issues
• TCP Basics
• Impact of wireless transmission errors on TCP performance
• Issues with multihop networks
• Issues with mobility
• Solution approaches
• Performance evaluation
• Issues Spanning All Layers
• Capacity
• Fairness
• Security
• Network management and monitoring
• Testbeds, Commercial Products and Standards
• Mesh testbeds in academic and industrial research labs
• Commercial mesh networking products
• Building your own testbed
• Activities in IEEE 802.11s ESS mesh working group
• Upcoming technology: WiMAX and its potential role