Routing and link-layer protocols for multi-channel multi-interface ad hoc wireless networks

TLDR

Wireless technologies such as IEEE 802.11a provide multiple non‑overlapping channels, yet most ad hoc protocols use only a single channel, limiting capacity that could be increased by exploiting multiple channels. This paper introduces protocols specifically designed to exploit multiple channels in ad hoc wireless networks. The protocols employ multiple interfaces—fewer than the number of channels—to simplify multi‑channel use, implement a link‑layer channel‑management protocol on existing IEEE 802.11 hardware, and incorporate a new routing metric into an on‑demand routing protocol. Simulation results show that the approach markedly increases network capacity by fully utilizing all available channels, even when hosts have fewer interfaces than channels.

Abstract

Wireless technologies, such as IEEE 802.11a, that are used in ad hoc networks provide for multiple non-overlapping channels. Most ad hoc network protocols that are currently available are designed to use a single channel. However, the available network capacity can be increased by using multiple channels. This paper presents new protocols specifically designed to exploit multiple channels. Our protocols simplify the use of multiple channels by using multiple interfaces, although the number of interfaces per host is typically smaller than the number of channels. We propose a link layer protocol to manage multiple channels, and it can be implemented over existing IEEE 802.11 hardware. We also propose a new routing metric for multi-channel multi-interface networks, and the metric is incorporated into an on-demand routing protocol that operates over the link layer protocol. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in significantly increasing network capacity, by utilizing all the available channels, even when the number of interfaces per host is smaller than the number of channels.