Cross-Layer Design In Multi-Radio Multi-Channel Wireless Mesh Networks

Wireless Mesh Network is a new kind of Wireless Broadband Access Network. Wireless Mesh Network has the advantages of both WLAN and Ad Hoc networks that it is self-organized, self-healed, multi-hop and with self-managed nodes, mobile bandwidth and wireless localization. These advantages make Wireless Mesh Network become an efficient solution for wireless broadband access. Recently, more and more researchers are working on using multi-radio multi-channel technology in wireless mesh networks to improve network throughput. In multi-radio multi-channel technology, nodes in the network are equipped by multi-NICs (Network Interface Card), and there are more than one channels in the network. But for the limitation of the number of NIC and the channel, the routing and channel assignment in Wireless Mesh Network is a NP-hard problem.Based on the introduction of basic characters, architecture, application of multi-radio multi-channel Wireless Mesh Networks and the concept of cross-layer design, this paper proposes a cross-layer design in multi-radio multi-channel Wireless Mesh Network, focusing on joint routing and channel assignment. We use weighted cumulative expected transmission time as the routing metric which considers the channel diversity in the physic layer. On routing by this metric, we propose a heuristic algorithm using Simulated Annealing to find the optimal routing solution. Then, by the proposed channel assignment algorithm, we assign channels for the links on the path. Our final goal is to maximize the network throughput and minimize the network delay.