Distributed Data Scheduling for OFDMA-Based Wireless Mesh Networks

In this paper, we consider the distributed data scheduling for wireless mesh networks (WMNs) using orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA). With the collision-free control channel by OFDMA-based mesh election, we present the data scheduling comprised of the resource allocation and link adaptation based on the 3-way handshaking procedure. Using the scheduling information of neighbor nodes obtained from the previous control channels, request and grant nodes schedule data transmission without making any interference to neighbors. Request nodes determine its available resource for each grant node, and grant nodes schedule the competing requests within its available resource where the equal sharing policy for the resource allocation is used. The link adaptation based on the outer-loop power control is also used to meet the target packet error rate (PER) and to compensate the channel variation due to the large scheduling interval. We evaluate the system level performance in the full buffer traffic model to verity the proposed data scheduling in the fixed and moving scenarios.