Simulation of multi-radio multi-channel 802.11-based mesh networks in ns-3

Abstract

In the context of wireless network simulation, many simulators are capable of evaluating the performance of single-channel network protocols, but they need many modifications to be able to simulate multi-radio multi-channel networks. We address the problem of simulating channel assignment protocols for multi-radio wireless mesh networks in ns-3 simulator, providing the essential steps needed to simulate a channel assignment protocol. In addition, we explain the details of simulating the Semi-dynamic Interference aware Channel Assignment (SICA) protocol as an example. We use SICA as a reference to address the challenges of validating and verifying the simulation model. To validate the channel assignment model in SICA, we use mathematical validation based on Markov chains. Furthermore, we propose a novel automated test module to verify the simulation process.