Time Behaviour and Network Encumbrance Due to Authentication in Wireless Mesh Access Networks

In this paper we investigate the authentication behaviour of mobile nodes within wireless mesh access networks. This work evaluates the authentication time and the authentication network resource consumption within wireless mesh networks, considering mobility of mobile nodes. Three authentication architectures, such as centralised, hierarchical and distributed, are presented. This paper work proposes a fundamental authentication architecture for mesh networks that provides mobility support. Furthermore, general aspects and requirements to achieve carrier grade mesh networks are discussed.