Multi-hop cellular networks: Architecture and protocols for best-effort and real-time communication

Abstract

Until recently, research on cellular networks concentrated only in single-hop cellular networks. The demand for high throughput has driven to architectures that use multiple hops in the presence of infrastructure. We propose an architecture for multihop cellular networks (MCNs). MCNs combine the benefits of having a fixed infrastructure of base stations and the flexibility of Ad hoc networks. They are capable of achieving much higher throughput than current cellular systems, which can be classified as single-hop cellular networks (SCNs). In this work, we propose an extended architecture for MCN using the IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless LANs for connection-less service and a TDMA-based solution for real-time support. We provide a general overview of the architecture and the issues involved in the design of MCNs, in particular the challenges to be met in the design of a routing protocol, a channel assignment scheme, and a mobility management scheme. We also propose a routing protocol called Base-Assisted Ad hoc Routing (BAAR) protocol for use in such networks and a model for the performance analysis of MCNs and SCNs. We also conduct extensive experimental studies on the performance of MCNs and SCNs under various load (TCP, UDP, and real-time sessions) and mobility conditions. These studies clearly indicate that MCNs with the proposed architecture and routing protocol are viable alternatives for SCNs, in fact they provide much higher throughput. MCNs are very attractive for best-effort packet radio where they can achieve an increase in throughput up to four when compared to similar SCNs. But for real-time traffic, even though they do outperform SCNs, they also suffer from a few disadvantages such as frequent hand-offs and throughput degradation at high mobility. We also present results from a detailed comparison study of our architecture for MCN with the Hybrid Wireless Network (HWN) architecture and Integrated Cellular Ad hoc Relaying (iCAR) Architecture.