Simulation and Analysis of Channel Assignment Strategy in IEEE802.11b-Based Mesh Networks
Jing Zhang · Journal of Xiamen University · 2008
The purpose of this paper is to study the affecting factors of channel assignment strategy on the performance of wireless Mesh network(WMN) when the number of APs is increased in a hot-spot(a crowded area with heavy traffic).We first study mechanisms to balance the capacity of hot-spots in a scenario with multiple APs and many wireless users.Then we analyze the impact of separating each AP at the physical layer using multiple overlapping channels as provided by the IEEE 802.11b standard.Finally we perform an extensive set of measurements and ns-2 simulations to study the impact of factors such as channel conditions,node density,channel allocation policies,and MAC protocol on throughput and fairness.The result shows that,due to the shared nature of the wireless medium and limited spectrum,the addition of new AP in the area with multiple APs does not increase the total system capacity proportionally,but can significantly degrade the total throughput of the region as a result of interference and contention.Three channel assignment strategies considered all have their own limitations.It is necessary to use other ways to improve the network performance.