This paper introduces a protocol that distributively constructs a collision-free schedule for multi-hop packet radio networks in the presence of hidden terminals. As a preliminary step, each wireless station computes the schedule length after gathering information about the number of flows in its neighbourhood. Then, a combination of deterministic and random backoffs are used to reach a collision-free schedule. A deterministic backoff is used after successful transmissions and a random backoff is used otherwise. It is explained that the short acknowledgement control packets can easily result in channel time fragmentation and, to avoid this, the use of link layer delayed acknowledgements is advocated and implemented. The performance results show that a collision-free protocol easily outperforms a collision-prone protocol such as Aloha. The time that is required for the network to converge to a collision-free schedule is assessed by means of simulation.
The problems associated to multi-hop packet radio networks (also known as multi-hop radio networks or wireless mesh networks in recent literature) have attracted the attention of the research community for a long time. As early as 1987, Tobagi presented a survey on the modeling and analysis of multi-hop packet radio networks @cite_25 , where he identified the difficulties intrinsic to this kind of networks. First, because of the broadcast and shared nature of the wireless channel, medium arbitration protocols are needed. Moreover, the action of each wireless station inevitably affects several surrounding stations, thus incurring interdependencies that complicate the analysis.
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The capacity problem in wireless mesh networks can be alleviated by equipping the mesh routers with multiple radios tuned to non-overlapping channels. However, channel assignment presents a challenge because co-located wireless networks are likely to be tuned to the same channels. The resulting increase in interference can adversely affect performance. This paper presents an interference-aware channel assignment algorithm and protocol for multi-radio wireless mesh networks that address this interference problem. The proposed solution intelligently assigns channels to radios to minimize interference within the mesh network and between the mesh network and co-located wireless networks. It utilizes a novel interference estimation technique implemented at each mesh router. An extension to the conflict graph model, the multi-radio conflict graph, is used to model the interference between the routers. We demonstrate our solution’s practicality through the evaluation of a prototype implementation in a IEEE 802.11 testbed. We also report on an extensive evaluation via simulations. In a sample multi-radio scenario, our solution yields performance gains in excess of 40 compared to a static assignment of channels. Compared to single-hop networks such as WiFi, multihop infrastructure wireless mesh networks (WMNs) can potentially embrace the broadcast benefits of a wireless medium in a more flexible manner. Rather than being point-to-point, links in the WMNs may originate from a single node and reach more than one other node. Nodes located farther than a one-hop distance and overhearing such transmissions may opportunistically help relay packets for previous hops. This phenomenon is called opportunistic overhearing listening. With multiple radios, a node can also improve its capacity by transmitting over multiple radios simultaneously using orthogonal channels. Capitalizing on these potential advantages requires effective routing and efficient mapping of channels to radios (channel assignment (CA)). While efficient channel assignment can greatly reduce interference from nearby transmitters, effective routing can potentially relieve congestion on paths to the infrastructure. Routing, however, requires that only packets pertaining to a particular connection be routed on a predetermined route. Random network coding (RNC) breaks this constraint by allowing nodes to randomly mix packets overheard so far before forwarding. A relay node thus only needs to know how many packets, and not which packets, it should send. We mathematically formulate the joint problem of random network coding, channel assignment, and broadcast link scheduling, taking into account opportunistic overhearing, the interference constraints, the coding constraints, the number of orthogonal channels, the number of radios per node, and fairness among unicast connections. Based on this formulation, we develop a suboptimal, auction-based solution for overall network throughput optimization. Performance evaluation results show that our algorithm can effectively exploit multiple radios and channels and can cope with fairness issues arising from auctions. Our algorithm also shows promising gains over traditional routing solutions in which various channel assignment strategies are used. The unstructured multi-hop radio network model, with asynchronous wake-up, no collision detection and little knowledge on the network topology, is proposed for capturing the particularly harsh characteristics of initially deployed wireless adhoc and sensor networks. In this paper, assuming such a practical model, we study a fundamental problem of both theoretical and practical interests--the local broadcasting problem. Given a set of nodes V where each node wants to broadcast a message to all its neighbors that are within a certain local broadcasting range R, the problem is to schedule all these requests in the fewest timeslots. By adopting the physical interference mode land without any knowledge on neighborhood, we give a new randomized distributed approximation algorithm for the local broadcasting problem with approximation ratio O (log n) where nis the number of nodes. This distributed approximation algorithm improves the state-of-the-art result in [22] by a logarithmic factor. Long-distance multi-hop wireless networks have been used in recent years to provide connectivity to rural areas. The salient features of such networks include TDMA channel access, nodes with multiple radios, and point-to-point long-distance wireless links established using high-gain directional antennas mounted on high towers. It has been demonstrated previously that in such network architectures, nodes can transmit concurrently on multiple radios, as well as receive concurrently on multiple radios. However, concurrent transmission on one radio, and reception on another radio causes interference. Under this scheduling constraint, given a set of source-destination demand rates, we consider the problem of satisfying the maximum fraction of each demand (also called the maximum concurrent flow problem). We give a novel joint routing and scheduling scheme for this problem, based on linear programming and graph coloring. We analyze our algorithm theoretically and prove that at least 50 of a satisfiable set of demands is satisfied by our algorithm for most practical networks (with maximum node degree at most 5). Recent advances in multi-radio multi-channel transmission technology have the potential of substantially improving the system capacity in multi-hop wireless networks. While previous work has primarily focused on the link level protocol design, in this paper we investigate the achievable performance gain, by jointly optimizing routing and scheduling in a multi-radio multichannel multi-hop network. We formulate the optimization under a deterministic model, and we seek to minimize overall system activation time in use to satisfy given end-to-end traffic demands subjected to the multi-access interference among neighboring transmissions and the radio interface constraint at each node. The exact solution to such an optimization problem is prohibitively complex due to the combinatorial complexity, particularly with the deployment of multi-radio and multi-channel. We develop a column generation based approach to solve this problem, which decomposes the original problem into sub-problems and solves them iteratively. Numerical results are given, and discussions as well as insights into the performance aspects for multi-radio multichannel deployment are provided. Multihop infrastructure wireless mesh networks offer increased reliability, coverage, and reduced equipment costs over their single-hop counterpart, wireless local area networks. Equipping wireless routers with multiple radios further improves the capacity by transmitting over multiple radios simultaneously using orthogonal channels. Efficient channel assignment and routing is essential for throughput optimization of mesh clients. Efficient channel assignment schemes can greatly relieve the interference effect of close-by transmissions; effective routing schemes can alleviate potential congestion on any gateways to the Internet, thereby improving per-client throughput. Unlike previous heuristic approaches, we mathematically formulate the joint channel assignment and routing problem, taking into account the interference constraints, the number of channels in the network, and the number of radios available at each mesh router. We then use this formulation to develop a solution for our problem that optimizes the overall network throughput subject to fairness constraints on allocation of scarce wireless capacity among mobile clients. We show that the performance of our algorithms is within a constant factor of that of any optimal algorithm for the joint channel assignment and routing problem. Our evaluation demonstrates that our algorithm can effectively exploit the increased number of channels and radios, and it performs much better than the theoretical worst case bounds In multi-hop ad hoc networks, stations may pump more traffic into the networks than can be supported, resulting in high packet-loss rate, re-routing instability and unfairness problems. This paper shows that controlling the offered load at the sources can eliminate these problems. To verify the simulation results, we set up a real 6-node multi-hop network. The experimental measurements confirm the existence of the optimal offered load. In addition, we provide an analysis to estimate the optimal offered load that maximizes the throughput of a multi-hop traffic flow. We believe this is a first paper in the literature to provide a quantitative analysis (as opposed to simulation) for the impact of hidden nodes and signal capture on sustainable throughput. The analysis is based on the observation that a large-scale 802.11 network with hidden nodes is a network in which the carrier-sensing capability breaks down partially. Its performance is therefore somewhere between that of a carrier-sensing network and that of an Aloha network. Indeed, our analytical closed-form solution has the appearance of the throughput equation of the Aloha network. Our approach allows one to identify whether the performance of an 802.11 network is hidden-node limited or spatial-reuse limited. In this paper, we propose a cross layer optimization framework for multi-hop routing and resource allocation design in an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) based wireless mesh network. The network under consideration is assumed to consist of fixed mesh routers (or base station routers) inter-connected using OFDMA wireless links with some of the mesh routers functioning as gateways to a wired network. The objective of our cross-layer formulation is to allow joint determination of power control, frequency-selective OFDMA scheduling and multi-hop routing in order to maximize the minimum throughput that can be supported to all mesh routers. Results of our investigations under typical cellular deployment, propagation and channel model assumptions show that this approach achieves significant mesh throughput improvements primarily due to the following: (a) frequency selective scheduling with OFDMA which provides improved tone diversity thus allowing more efficient bandwidth utilization relative to single carrier methods; and (b) multi-hop routing which provides improved path diversity relative to single hop transmissions. In this paper, a novel framework is proposed for optimizing the operation and performance of a large-scale multi-hop millimeter wave (mmW) backhaul within a wireless small cell network having multiple mobile network operators (MNOs). The proposed framework enables the small base stations to jointly decide on forming the multi-hop, mmW links over backhaul infrastructure that belongs to multiple, independent MNOs, while properly allocating resources across those links. In this regard, the problem is addressed using a novel framework based on matching theory composed of two, highly inter-related stages: a multi-hop network formation stage and a resource management stage. One unique feature of this framework is that it jointly accounts for both wireless channel characteristics and economic factors during both network formation and resource management. The multi-hop network formation stage is formulated as a one-to-many matching game, which is solved using a novel algorithm, that builds on the so-called deferred acceptance algorithm and is shown to yield a stable and Pareto optimal multi-hop mmW backhaul network. Then, a one-to-many matching game is formulated to enable proper resource allocation across the formed multi-hop network. This game is then shown to exhibit peer effects and, as such, a novel algorithm is developed to find a stable and optimal resource management solution that can properly cope with these peer effects. Simulation results show that, with manageable complexity, the proposed framework yields substantial gains, in terms of the average sum rate, reaching up to 27 and 54 , respectively, compared with a non-cooperative scheme in which inter-operator sharing is not allowed and a random allocation approach. The results also show that our framework improves the statistics of the backhaul sum rate and provides insights on how to manage pricing and the cost of the cooperative mmW backhaul network for the MNOs. A newly deployed multi-hop radio network is unstructured and lacks a reliable and efficient communication scheme. In this paper, we take a step towards analyzing the problems existing during the initialization phase of ad hoc and sensor networks. Particularly, we model the network as a multi-hop quasi unit disk graph and allow nodes to wake up asynchronously at any time. Further, nodes do not feature a reliable collision detection mechanism, and they have only limited knowledge about the network topology. We show that even for this restricted model, a good clustering can be computed efficiently. Our algorithm efficiently computes an asymptotically optimal clustering. Based on this algorithm, we describe a protocol for quickly establishing synchronized sleep and listen schedule between nodes within a cluster. Additionally, we provide simulation results in a variety of settings. Multi-hop wireless networks are often regarded as a promising means to extend the limited coverage area offered by WLANs. However, they are usually associated with poor and uncertain performance in terms of available bandwidth and packet losses, which clearly stands as a limitation to their use. In this paper, we consider the performance evaluation of a multi-hop path (also called chain), based on the IEEE 802.11 DCF. The proposed modeling framework is constructive and versatile, so that it can handle various types of multi-hop wireless paths, including scenarios with two flows in opposite directions, and topologies where nodes are exposed to the well-known hidden node problem. The models derived from our framework are conceptually simple, easy to implement and produce generally accurate results for the attained goodput of flows, as well as the datagram loss probability. Typical relative errors for these two quantities are below a few percent. Also, fundamental phenomena occurring in multi-hop wireless networks, such as performance collapse and starvation, are well captured by the models. This paper presents the evaluation of the multi-hop aggregate information efficiency of the slotted and unslotted ALOHA protocols. We consider a multi-hop wireless network where the nodes are spatially characterized by a Poisson point process and the traffic generation also follows a Poisson distribution. By applying the properties of stochastic geometry, we derive a closed-form lower bound on the outage probability as a function of the required communication rate, the single-hop distance, the number of hops and the maximum number of retransmissions. The results indicate that slotted ALOHA always outperforms its unslotted version, demonstrating the importance of synchronization in distributed networks. In addition, we show that it is always possible to optimize the network efficiency by properly setting the required rate for a given packet density. Finally, in the scenario considered, the use of retransmissions and multiple hops never achieves the best performance if compared to the option of single-hop links without retransmissions. Multichannel communication in a wireless mesh network with routers having multiple radio interfaces significantly enhances the network capacity. Efficient channel assignment and routing is critical for realization of optimal throughput in such networks. In this paper, we investigate the problem of finding the largest number of links that can be activated simultaneously in a wireless mesh network subject to interference, radio and connectivity constraints. Our goal is to activate all such links and we present an interference aware channel assignment algorithm that realizes this goal. We show that the Link Interference Graph created by utilizing a frequently used interference model gives rise to a special class of graphs, known as overlapping double-disk (ODD) graphs. We prove that the Maximum Independent Set computation problem is NP-complete for this special class of graphs. We provide a Polynomial Time Approximation Scheme (PTAS) for computation of the Maximum Independent Set of an ODD graph. We use this PTAS to develop a channel assignment algorithm for a multiradio multichannel Wireless Mesh Network. We evaluate the performance of our channel assignment algorithm by comparing it with the optimal solution obtained by solving an integer linear program. Experimental results demonstrate that our channel assignment algorithm produces near optimal solution in almost all instances of the problem. A comprehensive study of the problem of scheduling broadcast transmissions in a multihop, mobile packet radio network is provided that is based on throughput optimization subject to freedom from interference. It is shown that the problem is NP complete. A centralized algorithm that runs in polynomial time and results in efficient (maximal) schedules is proposed. A distributed algorithm that achieves the same schedules is then proposed. The algorithm results in a maximal broadcasting zone in every slot. > In multi-hop radio networks, such as wireless ad-hoc networks and wireless sensor networks, nodes employ a MAC (Medium Access Control) protocol such as TDMA to coordinate accesses to the shared medium and to avoid interference of close-by transmissions. These protocols can be implemented using standard node coloring. The ( Δ + 1 ) -coloring problem is to color all nodes in as few timeslots as possible using at most Δ + 1 colors such that any two nodes within distance R are assigned different colors, where R is a given parameter and Δ is the maximum degree of the modeled unit disk graph using R as a scaling factor. Being one of the most fundamental problems in distributed computing, this problem is well studied and there is a long chain of algorithms prescribed for it. However, all previous works are based on abstract models, such as message passing models and graph based interference models, which limit the utility of these algorithms in practice. In this paper, for the first time, we consider the distributed ( Δ + 1 ) -coloring problem under the more practical SINR interference model. In particular, without requiring any knowledge about the neighborhood, we propose a novel randomized ( Δ + 1 ) -coloring algorithm with time complexity O ( Δ log ? n + log 2 ? n ) . For the case where nodes cannot adjust their transmission power, we give an O ( Δ log 2 ? n ) randomized algorithm, which only incurs a logarithmic multiplicative factor overhead. Congestion control in wireless multi-hop networks is challenging and complicated because of two reasons. First, interference is ubiquitous and causes loss in the shared medium. Second, wireless multihop networks are characterized by the use of diverse and dynamically changing routing paths. Traditional end point based congestion control protocols are ineffective in such a setting resulting in unfairness and starvation. This paper adapts the optimal theoretical work of Tassiulas and Ephremedes on cross-layer optimization of wireless networks involving congestion control, routing and scheduling, for practical solutions to congestion control in multi-hop wireless networks. This work is the first that implements in real off-shelf radios, a differential backlog based MAC scheduling and router-assisted backpressure congestion control for multi-hop wireless networks. Our adaptation, called DiffQ, is implemented between transport and IP and supports legacy TCP and UDP applications. In a network of 46 IEEE 802.11 wireless nodes, we demonstrate that DiffQ far outperforms many previously proposed "practical" solutions for congestion control. In this paper we study the problem of assigning transmission ranges to the nodes of a multi-hop packet radio network so as to minimize the total power consumed under the constraint that adequate power is provided to the nodes to ensure that the network is strongly connected (i.e., each node can communicate along some path in the network to every other node). Such assignment of transmission ranges is called complete. We also consider the problem of achieving strongly connected bounded diameter networks. The class of Gupta-Kumar results give the asymptotic throughput in multi-hop wireless networks but cannot predict the throughput behavior in networks of typical size. This paper addresses the non-asymptotic analysis of the multihop wireless communication problem and provides, for the first time, closed-form results on multi-hop throughput and delay distributions. The results are non-asymptotic in that they hold for any number of nodes and also fully account for transient regimes, i.e., finite time scales, delays, as well as bursty arrivals. Their accuracy is supported by the recovery of classical single-hop results, and also by simulations from empirical data sets with realistic mobility settings. Moreover, for a specific network scenario and a fixed pair of nodes, the results confirm Gupta-Kumar's Ω(1√n log n) asymptotic scaling law. Mobile Communications DepartmentEur´ecom InstituteSophia-Antipolis, Franceraymond.knopp@eurecom.frAbstractIn this work, we are interested in characterizing the performance of decentral-ized multiple-access and retransmission schemes for multi-hop wireless networks.We assume that nodes are randomly distributed on the plane according to a homo-geneous spatial Poisson process. We investigate two transmission strategies: onethat maximizes the distance of a successful transmission for each hop towards theﬁnal destination; and the other that forwards packets to the closest node in range inthe direction of the ﬁnal destination where transmission is successful. This is usefulin the context of multi-hop wireless networks as it is important to assess the trade-oﬀ between spatial density of communication and the range of each transmission.The results of this work also show that coding and retransmissions provide meansof reliable communication coupled with a completely decentralized multiple-accessstrategy. This paper considers the problem of determining the achievable rates in multi-hop wireless mesh networks with orthogonal channels. We classify wireless networks with orthogonal channels into two types, half duplex and full duplex, and consider the problem of jointly routing the flows and scheduling transmissions to achieve a given rate vector. We develop tight necessary and sufficient conditions for the achievability of the rate vector. We develop efficient and easy to implement Fully Polynomial Time Approximation Schemes for solving the routing problem. The scheduling problem is a solved as a graph edge-coloring problem. We show that this approach guarantees that the solution obtained is within 50 of the optimal solution in the worst case (within 67 of the optimal solution in a common special case) and, in practice, is close to 90 of the optimal solution on the average. The approach that we use is quite flexible and can be extended to handle more sophisticated interference conditions, and routing with diversity requirements.