A non-constant weight code approach for fast link assessment in multihop wireless mesh networks

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel link assessment scheme where the link assessment packets are transmitted efficiently according to a set of nonconstant weight codes, which achieves low collision probability within a short link assessment period. Design/methodology/approach – Each node considers the actual nodal degree while choosing the codeword for its link assessment. A link assessment procedure is designed and a set of theorems established that provide the necessary condition for successful link assessment. Findings – The wireless mesh network (WMN) is experiencing tremendous growth with the standardization of IEEE 802.11 and IEEE 802.16 technologies. Compared to its wired counterpart, the resource of the WMN is limited. Worst yet, the wireless link quality is time and space varying, depending on the environment and interference. In order to make efficient use of the scarce channel resource during topology formation, scheduling and routing, it is vital to understand the quality of the links in the WMN (in terms of, e.g. probability of successful transmission or signal to noise ratio (SNR)). The existing approaches for link assessment consume substantial amount of time and thus introduce significant delay and overhead. Extensive simulations show that the proposed approach reduces link assessment delay by over 70 percent compared to the OOCbased approach. Practical implications – This scheme can help in faster link assessment and can lead to better routing, scheduling which contributes to higher throughput and better bandwidth utilization in any WMN. Originality/value – The scheme defined in this paper can help in faster link assessment in WMN.