A framework for optimization in multi-channel multi-radio wireless mesh networks

Multi-hop infrastructure wireless mesh networks offer increased reliability, coverage and reduced equipment costs over their single-hop counterpart, wireless LANs. Equipping wireless routers with multiple radios further improves the capacity by transmitting over multiple radios simultaneously using orthogonal channels. However, due to the limited number of available orthogonal channels, interference is still a factor in such networks. In this paper, we propose a network model that captures the key practical aspects of such systems and characterize the constraints binding their behavior. We mathematically formulate the optimization framework, taking into account the interference constraints, the number of channels in the network and the number of radios available at each mesh router etc. We then use this framework to develop solutions for multiple objectives subject to different kind of fairness constraints on allocation of scarce wireless capacity among mobile clients. The methods proposed in this paper can be a valuable tool for network designers in planning network deployment and for optimizing different performance objectives.