A model to improve the routing performance of Cognitive Radio Wireless Mesh Networks

Abstract

The increasing demand for broadband wireless technologies has led to the scarcity, inefficient utilization, and underutilization of the spectrum. The Cognitive Radio (CR) technology has emerged as the promising solution which improves the utilization of the spectrum. However, routing is a challenge due to the dynamic nature of the CR networks. The link quality varies in space and time as nodes join and leave the network. The network connectivity is intermittent due to node mobility and the activities of the primary user. The spectrum aware, spectrum agile, and interference aware routing protocols are vital for the sturdiness of the network and efficient utilization of the resources. We propose an interference aware, spectrum aware, and agile extended Weighted Cumulative Expected Transmission Time (xWCETT) routing protocol. The protocol integrates the features of the Ad-hoc On-demand Distance Vector (AODV) and the weighted cumulative expected transmission time (WCETT) routing protocols. The xWCETT was simulated using the Network Simulator 2 and its performance compared with the AODV and the WCETT routing protocols. The xWCETT was evaluated with respect to quality of service related metrics and the results show that it outperformed the AODV and WCETT routing protocols.

Keywords

• Cognitive Radio
• Cognitive Radio Network
• Radio Frequency Spectrum
• Routing Protocol
• Wireless Mesh Networks