Wireless Mesh Networks for Interconnection of Remote Sites to Fixed Broadband Networks (CTI-Mesh)

Abstract

Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) operating in the 5GHz band (IEEE 802.11 a/h) offer a great opportunity to function as wireless access networks. Remote sites that lack direct access to a fibre network may benefit from this technology, as it can be used to bridge potentially large distances. Directional antennas can be utilised to establish network connectivity and also overcome geographic or environmental obstacles. The high gain of directional antennas improves the reception of signals in focused directions and reduces interference from unwanted sources. Therefore, they are the preferred choice for such bridging scenarios. The technology transfer project "Wireless Mesh Networks for Interconnection of Remote Sites to Fixed Broadband Networks (Feasibility Study)" evaluated the utility and feasibility of WLAN‐based WMNs in application scenarios, where remote sites need to be connected to a fixed broadband network. Examples for such scenarios are high‐bandwidth sensor networks deployed in areas where fixed broadband networks have not yet been deployed or where it is considered too costly to deploy them. It has been tested whether and how the used hardware and software components are appropriate for the intended application scenarios. A deployment of typical real world application as an outdoor testbed has been realized.

As a test scenario, the project partners decided to connect a weather station at Payerne to the fibre backbone with an access point at Neuchâtel. A camera sensor had to be made accessible over a wireless mesh access network to the Internet by two redundant paths in order to provide robustness and reliability. The network consisted of six nodes, of which the four intermediate nodes are solar‐powered. One end point of the wireless mesh access network was mounted on the rooftop of the University of Neuchâtel. It acted as gateway to the fibre backbone. The other end point operated as gateway to the sensor network with an IP capable camera.

Measured data supports the feasibility of the implemented networking approach, yet reveals the high impact of general challenges that have to be overcome in real‐world deployments. The gained network deployment and maintenance experiences provide a good starting point for future projects. Although we managed to ensure network connectivity over several months, additional investigations and efforts are required to increase network reliability and capacity. The demands of a ready‐to‐market network service are certainly higher than what can be achieved within the feasibility study scenario.

Project Details

Publications

	Thomas Staub, Markus Anwander, Kurt Baumann, Torsten Braun, Marc Brogle, Kirsten Dolfus, Christian Félix, Paul Kim Goode: Connecting Remote Sites to the Wired Backbone by Wireless Mesh Access Networks, 16th European Wireless Conference , Lucca, Italy, April 12 - 15, 2010, pp.  675 - 682, IEEE Xplore, ISBN 978-1-4244-5999-5
	Thomas Staub, Markus Anwander, Kurt Baumann, Torsten Braun, Marc Brogle, Pascal Dornier, Christian Félix and Paul Kim Goode: Wireless Mesh Networks - Connecting Remote Sites, SWITCH Journal, Zurich, Switzerland, March, 2010, pp. 10-12
	Thomas Staub, Markus Anwander, Marc Brogle, Kirsten Dolfus, Torsten Braun, Kurt Baumann, Christian Félix, Pascal Dornier: Wireless Mesh Networks for Interconnection of Remote Sites to Fixed Broadband Networks (Feasibility Study), Universität Bern, Institut für Informatik und angewandte Mathematik , Bern, Switzerland, December 18, 2009, IAM-09-007
	Thomas Staub, Marc Brogle, Kurt Baumann, Torsten Braun: Wireless Mesh Networks for Interconnection of Remote Sites to Fixed Broadband Networks, Third ERCIM Workshop on eMobility , University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands, May 27 - 28, 2009, pp. 97-98, University of Twente, Enschede, ISBN 978-90-365-2846-7

Impressions