Existing Access Technologies Research Articles

ICMS: A Flexible Location-Based Access Control System for Mobile Devices

In this article, we introduce <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">I Control My Space</i> (ICMS), a novel, fine-grained, and flexible system that allows space owners to define and enforce access restriction and service policies on mobile devices at their premises. This is achieved by enforcing restrictions on the use of applications and even specific permissions on the mobile device (e.g., camera, microphone, etc.). The system is built around a centralized database, where space owners can securely define their restrictions or even delegate control of their space to another owner. ICMS is designed with abstraction in mind so that it can be customized on existing access technologies and platforms—such as Android-based mobile devices—for various levels of security and privacy. A proof-of-concept prototype of ICMS is developed under the Android operating system, and promising results of its performance and effectiveness are demonstrated.

Mode transformation and united control mechanism supporting wavelength division multiplexing Ethernet passive optical network and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing passive optical network in multi‐subsystem‐based virtual passive optical network

In this study, mode transformation and united control mechanism for multiple subsystems in metro-access optical network (MAON) are proposed to realise multi-subsystem-based virtual passive optical network. By combing the characteristics of multi-point control protocols (MPCPs) of wavelength division multiplexing Ethernet passive optical network (WDM-EPON) and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing passive optical network (OFDM-PON), a unified MPCP (U-MPCP) is proposed. Based on the U-MPCP, flexible control node and central node are constructed to achieve asynchronous unified control of multiple subsystems. By designing new control frames, the mode transformation between two subsystems (WDM-EPON and OFDM-PON) can be carried out. It can not only finish the flexible transformation of optical network unit's (ONU's) working modes but also make the MAON have the backward compatibility to the existing access technologies. By creating transformation algorithm of ONU's working modes, the transmission delay of over-load subsystem can be effectively reduced when ONU meets the condition of the mode transformation and finishes the transformation. Finally, by simulation, the effectiveness of the proposed scheme is demonstrated.

Usage Patterns in an Urban WiFi Network

While WiFi was initially designed as a local-area access network, mesh networking technologies have led to increasingly expansive deployments of WiFi networks. In urban environments, the WiFi mesh frequently supplements a number of existing access technologies, including wired broadband networks, 3G cellular, and commercial WiFi hotspots. It is an open question what role citywide WiFi deployments play in the increasingly diverse access network spectrum. We study the usage of the Google WiFi network deployed in Mountain View, CA, and find that usage naturally falls into three classes based almost entirely on client device type, which we divide into traditional laptop users, fixed-location access devices, and PDA-like smartphone devices. Moreover, each of these classes of use has significant geographic locality, following the distribution of residential, commercial, and transportation areas of the city. When comparing the network usage of each device class, we find a diverse set of mobility patterns that map well to the archetypal use cases for traditional access technologies. To help place our results in context, we also provide key performance measurements of the mesh backbone and, where possible, compare them to those of previously studied urban mesh networks.

Supporting carrier grade services over wireless mesh networks: The approach of the European FP-7 STREP CARMEN [Very Large Projects

CARMEN is a three-year Specific Targeted Research Project (STREP) funded by the European Commission within the 7th Framework Program. The CARMEN access network will complement existing access technologies by exploiting low cost mesh networking techniques, thus minimizing deployment and maintenance costs. The CARMEN architecture introduces an abstraction layer that hides the specifics of the underlying access technology providing an abstract interface on top of which higher layers can be easily developed. This allows for the integration of current and future heterogeneous wireless technologies to provide scalable and efficient mobile ubiquitous Internet access, able to adapt to different environments and user requirements. Following these goals, CARMEN aims to define, study and implement link and technology abstractions, mobility support, and quality of service. The architecture also includes advanced monitoring features that allow for dynamic self-configuration, thereby reducing the installation and operational costs.

“MeshUp”: Self-organizing mesh-based topologies for next generation radio access networks

The phenomenal growth in wireless technologies has brought about a slew of new services. Incumbent with the new technology is the challenge of providing flexible, reconfigurable, self-organizing architectures which are capable of catering to the dynamics of the network, while providing cost-effective solutions for the service providers. In this paper, we focus on mesh-based multi-hop access network architectures for next generation radio access networks. Using short, high bandwidth optical wireless links to interconnect the various network elements, we propose a non-hierarchical, multi-hop access network framework. We study two generic family of mesh-based topologies: GPeterNet, a graph theoretic framework, and FraNtiC, a fractal geometric architecture, for arbitrary access network deployments. The performance of these topologies is analyzed in terms of different system metrics – topological robustness and reliability, system costs and network exposure due to failure conditions. Our analysis shows that a combination of different mesh-based multi-hop access topologies, coupled with emerging wireless backhaul technologies, can cater carrier-class services for next generation radio access networks, providing significant advantages over existing access technologies.