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On the Feasibility of the Link Abstraction in Wireless Mesh Networks

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Title On the Feasibility of the Link Abstraction in Wireless Mesh Networks
 
Creator RAMAN, B
CHEBROLU, K
GOKHALE, D
SEN, S
 
Subject ieee 802.11
ieee 802.15.4
interference
link abstraction
link-level measurements
rural networks
wifi
wireless mesh networks
 
Description Outdoor community mesh networks based on IEEE 802.11 have seen tremendous growth in the recent past. The current understanding is that wireless link performance in these settings is inherently unpredictable, due to multipath delay spread. Consequently, researchers have focused on developing intelligent routing techniques to achieve the best possible performance. In this paper, we are specifically interested in mesh networks in rural locations. We first present detailed measurements to show that the PHY layer in these settings is indeed stable and predictable. There is a strong correlation between the error rate and the received signal strength. We show that interference, and not multipath fading, is the primary cause of unpredictable performance. This is in sharp contrast with current widespread knowledge from prior studies. Furthermore, we corroborate our view with a fresh analysis of data presented in these prior studies. While our initial measurements focus on 802.11b, we then use two different PRY technologies as well, operating in the 2.4-GHz ISM band: 802.11g and 802.15.4. These show similar results too. Based on our results, we argue that outdoor rural mesh networks can indeed be built with the link abstraction being valid. This has several design implications, including at the MAC and routing layers, and opens up a fresh perspective on a wide range of technical issues in this domain.
 
Publisher IEEE-INST ELECTRICAL ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS INC
 
Date 2011-08-01T10:46:16Z
2011-12-26T12:53:21Z
2011-12-27T05:35:21Z
2011-08-01T10:46:16Z
2011-12-26T12:53:21Z
2011-12-27T05:35:21Z
2009
 
Type Article
 
Identifier IEEE-ACM TRANSACTIONS ON NETWORKING, 17(2), 528-541
1063-6692
http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TNET.2009.2013706
http://dspace.library.iitb.ac.in/xmlui/handle/10054/8410
http://hdl.handle.net/10054/8410
 
Language en