On the feasibility of IEEE 802.11 multi-channel multi-hop mesh networks

Several scientific works have considered the possibility to build Wireless Mesh Networks (WMN) using multi-channel IEEE 802.11 architectures. At the basis of these works is the notion of “non-overlapping” channels, i.e. with a frequency separation equal or greater than 25MHz. It is now a common assumption that multiple independent transmissions over these channels can coexist without mutual interference even in physical proximity. In this work we demonstrate that this assumption does not hold in general. Through an extensive set of experiments we illustrate the presence of cross-channel interference between “non-overlapping” channels at relay nodes due to the “near-far” effect. We analyze in what manner the MAC layer reacts to such an interference and how this problem extends to higher layers, with detrimental effects on the global throughput. The central problem is that cross-channel interference is not handled adequately by the MAC layer, and in some cases single-channel multi-hop settings perform better than multi-channel. Our results highlight a serious mismatch between some routing and channel assignment schemes proposed recently by the research community, assuming full separation between non-overlapping channels, and what is achievable in practice. More generally, Preprint submitted to Elsevier 10 January 2008 as the presence of cross-channel interference can not be neglected at relay nodes, our findings point to a fundamental problem in building Multi-channel Multi-hop WMN based on IEEE 802.11b/g technology.