A Performance Study of Deployment Factors in Wireless Mesh Networks

Abstract— We present a measurement-parameterized performance study of deployment factors in wireless mesh networks using three performance metrics: client coverage area, backhaul tier connectivity, and fair mesh capacity. For each metric, we identify and study topology factors and architectural features which strongly influence mesh performance via an extensive set of Monte Carlo simulations capturing realistic physical layer behavior. Our findings include: (i) A random topology is unsuitable for a large-scale mesh deployment due to doubled node density requirements, yet a moderate level of perturbations from ideal grid placement has a minor impact on performance. (ii) Multiple backhaul radios per mesh node is a cost-effective deployment strategy as it leads to mesh deployments costing 50% less than with a single-radio architecture. (iii) Dividing access and backhaul connections onto two separate radios does not use the second radio efficiently as it only improves fair mesh capaci...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2007
• Where: INFOCOM
• Authors: Joshua Robinson, Edward W. Knightly
• Keywords: Communications, Fair Mesh Capacity, INFOCOM 2007, Mesh, Mesh Deployments