802.11 Mesh mode provides rural coverage at low cost

Abstract

The paper discusses the use of Mesh technology as a strategy to extend coverage to provide rural telecommunications services. Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) provide a reliable & cost effective solution to extending coverage in a rural fixed network. The research investigates range extension using a hybrid wireless local area network (WLAN) architecture running both infrastructure & client wireless mesh networks. For a rural scenario the infrastructure network provides the connectivity to the Internet using WiFi and WiMax, while the routing capabilities of the nodes provide improved connectivity and coverage around the WMN. This paper serves to extend the use of the 802.11 g protocol in a WMN for a rural application. The applicability of a star mesh network solution was evaluated for a rural South African scenario. Simulation results assisted in drawing the conclusion that the star mesh network is a feasible, low- cost, robust solution. For a maximum throughput of 100 Kbps on each node in the network the distance of the first hop from the access point is 1.302 Km resulting in a total coverage area of 8.06 Km2.