Wireless mesh networking games

We address the coverage range extension of wireless mesh networks (WMNs) by motivating traffic relaying by in-range network subscribers. Two different game models for non-cooperative users are discussed: a primary market model in which all in-range and out-of-range customers subscribe to one provider, and a primary-secondary market model in which some in-range customers are secondary providers and sell resources to out-of-range users. For the first market type, the relays may engage in packet-dropping for their own throughput gain, but we justify why this would likely not occur in the second market type. In both market models, we analyze the dynamics of the price charged by each provider and the traffic demanded by each subscriber. Additionally, we discuss possible options for underlying MAC protocols that are suitable for the games in play. We use an ALOHA-based framework to study the dynamics of the primary market, and an OFDMA-based framework to study the dynamics of the primary-secondary market. Lastly, we provide a simulation study for each model.