Utility-based channel assignment and topology control in wireless mesh networks

Abstract

We define a utility-based framework for joint channel assignment and topology control in multi-rate multi-radio wireless mesh networks, and present a greedy algorithm for solving the corresponding optimization problem. Key features of the proposed approach are the support for different target objectives, which are expressed as utility functions of the MAC layer throughput, and the efficient utilization of wired network gateways, while guaranteeing that for every mesh node there exists a path to a gateway. Investigations show the influence of different target objectives on the channel assignment and network topology, demonstrate the proposed approach's load balancing properties in mesh networks containing multiple gateways, show the effect of 802.11a adjacent channel interference on the channel assignment, and compare the performance of the proposed procedure with a rate-based channel assignment scheme.