Decentralized Dynamic Power Control for Wireless Backbone Mesh Networks

Abstract

The remarkable evolution of wireless networks into the next generation to provide ubiquitous and seamless broadband applications has recently triggered the emergence of Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs). The WMNs comprise stationary Wireless Mesh Routers (WMRs) forming Wireless Backbone Mesh Networks (WBMNs) and mobile Wireless Mesh Clients (WMCs) forming the WMN access. While WMCs are limited in function and radio resources, the WMRs are expected to support heavy duty applications: that is, WMRs have gateway and bridge functions to integrate WMNs with other networks such as the Internet, cellular, IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.15, IEEE 802.16, sensor networks, et cetera. Consequently, WMRs are constructed from fast switching radios or multiple radio devices operating on multiple frequency channels. WMRs are expected to be self-organized, self-configured and constitute a reliable and robust WBMN which needs to sustain high traffic volumes and long “online” time. However, meeting such stringent service expectations requires the development of decentralized dynamic transmission power control (DTPC) approaches. This thesis addresses the DTPC problem for both single and multiple channel WBMNs. For single channel networks, the problem is formulated as the minimization of both the linkcentric and network-centric convex cost function. In order to solve this issue, multiple access transmission aware (MATA) models and algorithms are proposed. For multi-radio multichannel (MRMC) WBMNs, the network is modelled as sets of unified channel graphs (UCGs), each consisting of interconnected active network users communicating on the same frequency channel. For each UCG set, the minimization of stochastic quadratic cost functions are developed subject to the dynamic Link State Information (LSI) equations from all UCGs. An energy-efficient multi-radio unification protocol (PMMUP) is then suggested at the Link- Layer (LL). Predictive estimation algorithms based on this protocol are proposed to solve such objective functions. To address transmission energy and packet instabilities, and interference across multiple channels, singularly-perturbed weakly-coupled (SPWC) control problems are formulated. In order to solve the SPWC transmission power control problem, a generalized higher-order recursive algorithm (HORA) that obtains the Riccati Stabilizing Solutions to the control problem is developed. The performance behaviours of the proposed models and algorithms are evaluated both analytically and through computer simulations. Several simulations are performed on a large number of randomly generated topologies. Simulation and analytical results confirm the efficacy of the proposed algorithms compared to the most recently studied techniques.