Wireless mesh networks

   

Prof. Prasant Mohapatra
Computer Science Department, University of California, Davis, CA

15 hours, 4 credits (final test)

March 26 - March 29, 2007
Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Informazione: Elettronica, Informatica, Telecomunicazioni, via Diotisalvi 2, meeting room

Contacts: Prof. Luciano Lenzini

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

   

Abstract

Wireless mesh networks are multihop networks of wireless router platforms. The wireless routers are typically stationary, but the clients can be mobile. A mesh network can provide multihop communication paths between wireless clients - serving as a community network or as a broadband access network for the Internet. Wireless mesh networks are considered cost-effective alternatives to wireless LANs, as there is no necessity to deploy any wired infrastructure to support a mesh network. This is particularly attractive in developing countries and rural communities, where large-scale deployment of wired broadband infrastructure is not affordable. With the plummeting cost of 802.11-based hardware platforms, wireless mesh networking is gaining ground with several industry players developing 802.11-based mesh networking platforms and services.

There are several technical challenges that must be addressed for mesh networking to be as effective as any other form of broadband networking. Much of these challenges relate to multihop wireless communication and limited capacity. This series of lessons is designed to introduce essential mesh networking concepts, lay down the technological challenges and describe how the research community is addressing them. We will explore the issues associated to each layer of the protocol stack as well as various cross-layer approaches. We will also discuss the experiences and lessons learnt from various experimental testbeds. Techniques to build simple mesh network platforms will be explained.

Syllabus

  • A Quick Introduction to Wireless Mesh Networks
  • Advanced MAC Protocols
  • MAC for Multichannel, Multiradio Mesh Networks
  • MAC Directional Antenna
  • MAC for MIMO
  • Transmission Power Control
  • Routing Issues
  • Multichannel, Multiradio Routing
  • Routing Metrics
  • Cross-Layer Issues
  • Capacity Models
  • Capacity Enhancement Techniques
  • Fairness
  • QoS Support
  • Security
  • Network Management
  • Experimental Testbeds and Commercial Products
  • Experiences in Real-World Deployment
  • State-of-the-Art Commercial Advances
  • Standards
  • IEEE 802.11s
  • IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX)
  • Advanced Topics
  • Topology Management
  • Heterogeneous Mesh Networks
  • Underwater Wireless Networks
  • Vehicular Mesh Networks
  • Concluding Remarks and Future