CluLoR: Clustered Localized Routing for FiWi Networks

Abstract

The integration of passive optical networks (PONs) and wireless mesh networks (WMNs) into Fiber- Wireless (FiWi) networks can lead to effective access networks. Existing routing schemes for FiWi networks consider mainly hop-count and delay metrics over a flat WMN node topology and do not specifically prioritize the local network structure, i.e., the local wireless-optical network gateway. In this study, we explore a simple, yet effective routing algorithm for FiWi networks with a WMN organized into zones operating on different radio channels. We examine the effects of routing the traffic into and out of a zone through one or more cluster heads. We investigate the effectiveness of localized routing that prioritizes transmissions over the local gateway to the optical network and avoids wireless packet transmissions in zones that do not contain the packet source or destination. We find that this combination of clustered and localized routing (CluLoR) gives good throughput-delay performance compared to routing schemes that transmit packets wirelessly through “transit zones” (that do not contain the packet source or destination) following minimum hop-count routing.