Interference-aware Load Balancing for Multihop Wireless Networks

Abstract

Load balancing is critical for improving performance in wireless mesh networks. The unique characteristics of mesh networks, such as static nodes and the shared nature of the wireless medium, invalidate existing solutions from both wired and wireless networks and introduce new challenges for providing load balancing. In this paper, we focus on addressing these challenges. We first formulate the objective of load balancing in mesh networks and provide a theoretical solution to optimally achieve this objective. Then, we investigate some existing practical approaches to load balancing in mesh networks and show that none of them sufficiently address these challenges and some may even cause non-optimal paths and forwarding loops. In response, we propose a new path weight function, called MIC, and a novel routing scheme, called LIBRA, to provide interference-aware and multi-channel/multi-radio aware load balancing for mesh networks, while still ensuring routing optimality and loop-freedom. We use extensive simulations to evaluate our scheme by comparing it with both the theoretical optimal solution and existing practical solutions. The results show close-to-optimum performance and indicate that LIBRA is a good candidate for load balancing and routing in wireless mesh networks.