Context-based connectivity in Wireless Mesh Networks: Analytical vs simulation studies

The ability to deal with the requirements and preferences of mesh clients and their applications is still left aside in the recent trends for Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs). In this paper, we split a WMN into a multitude of logical networks through virtualization, each one appropriate to specific levels of context features, e.g., security and cost preferences, mobility, and applications' requirements. The advantages brought by virtualization will be used to create, configure, and adapt these logical networks (or Virtual Networks — VNs). The work in this paper focuses on the proper configuration of VNs' assigned resources to meet distinct context requirements, and on the definition of control mechanisms to discover and extend VNs that fit users' context. An analytical model and a simulation setup are defined to evaluate the: i) impact of virtualization; ii) proposed control mechanisms for VNs' reconfiguration. The results show that the model is able to capture the characteristics of the architecture when dealing with different communication requirements and with distinct scenarios for user connectivity.