A Routing and Interface Assignment Algorithm for Multi-Channel Multi-Interface Ad Hoc Networks

In this paper, we present a routing and interface assignment algorithm for multi-channel multi-interface (MCMI) wireless ad hoc networks. An MCMI network consists of nodes that have more than one interface, and more than one channel available for transmission. The proposed algorithm takes into account both the number of hops between the source to the destination nodes, and the effects of adjacent hop interference. The algorithm has two decoupled steps: route selection and interface assignment. The step of route selection finds the path that has the minimum lower bound among all possible routes between the source and the destination while the step of interface assignment assigns an interface to a channel on each hop on that path. The interface assignment is based on the use of the Viterbi algorithm. The use of decoupled steps makes the algorithm computationally efficient, while the use of the lower bound metrics in route selection and the Viterbi algorithm in interface assignment helps improving the global optimality of the routing. Computer simulation and examples are used to demonstrate the effectiveness and performance of the proposed technique. Comparisons are made to other existing routing techniques in the area of dynamical spectrum access.