Deploying Mesh Nodes under Non-Uniform Propagation

Abstract—Wireless mesh networks are popular as a costeffective means to provide broadband connectivity to large user populations. A mesh network placement provides coverage, such that each target client location has a link to a deployed mesh node, and connectivity, such that each mesh node wirelessly connects directly to a gateway or via intermediate mesh nodes. Prior work on placement assumes wireless propagation to be uniform in all directions, i.e., an unrealistic assumption of circular communication regions. In this paper, we present approximation algorithms to solve the NP-hard mesh node placement problem for non-uniform propagation settings. The first key challenge is incorporating non-uniform propagation, which we address by formulating the problem input as a connectivity graph consisting of discrete target coverage locations and potential mesh node locations. This graph incorporates non-uniform propagation by specifying the estimated signal quality per link. Secondly, our al...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2010
• Where: INFOCOM
• Authors: Joshua Robinson, Mohit Singh, Ram Swaminathan, Edward W. Knightly
• Keywords: Communications, INFOCOM 2010, Mesh, Mesh Nodes, Non-uniform Propagation