A hybrid routing algorithm for load balancing in WLAN mesh network

While Wireless Local Network (WLAN) mesh network has been actively explored for a few years, there are still some technical challenges existing, such as optimal routing, fairness and mobility management. Hybrid Wireless Mesh Protocol (HWMP) is proposed in draft standard as a recommended routing protocol for WLAN mesh network, however, it only takes hop count into account, which may result in node/link congestion. In this paper, a novel load balancing routing algorithm based on HWMP is proposed for WLAN mesh network. The proposed algorithm addresses the problem of load balancing on MP-to-MP (mesh point) links. Through jointly considering node congestion level, flow concentration level and link Expected Transmission Time (ETT), optimal load balancing and fast recovery routing can be obtained. The simulation results show that proposed algorithm offers network fast recovery ability when congestion occurs, and achieves load balancing among multiple paths.