A New Linear Model for the Calculation of Routing Metrics in 802.11s Using ns-3 and RStudio

Abstract

Wireless mesh networks (WMNs) offer a pragmatic solution with a cost-effective ratio when provisioning ubiquitous broadband internet access and diverse telecommunication systems. The conceptual underpinning of mesh networks finds application not only in IEEE networks, but also in 3GPP networks like LTE and the low-power wide area network (LPWAN) tailored for the burgeoning Internet of Things (IoT) landscape. IEEE 802.11s is well known for its facto standard for WMN, which defines the hybrid wireless mesh protocol (HWMP) as a layer-2 routing protocol and airtime link (ALM) as a metric. In this intricate landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) plays a prominent role in the industry, particularly within the technology and telecommunication realms. This study presents a novel methodology for the computation of routing metrics, specifically the ALM. This methodology implements the network simulator ns-3 and the RStudio as a statistical computing environment for data analysis. The former has enabled for the creation of scripts that elicit a variety of scenarios for WMN where information is gathered and stored in databases. The latter (RStudio) takes this information, and at this point, two linear predictions are supported. The first uses linear models (lm) and the second employs general linear models (glm). To conclude this process, statistical tests are applied to the original model, as well as to the new suggested ones. This work substantially contributes in two ways: first, through the methodological tool for the metric calculation of the HWMP protocol that belongs to the IEEE 802.11s standard, using lm and glm for the selection and validation of the model regressors. At this stage the ANOVA and STEPWIZE tools of RStudio are used. The second contribution is a linear predictor that improves the WMN’s performance as a priori mechanism before the use of the ns-3 simulator. The ANCOVA tool of RStudio is employed in the latter.