Wireless Mesh Networks Performance Assessment for Confined Areas Deployment

Complex problems arise in planning network operations, particularly for deployment in an underground environment. Experimentation with Wireless Mesh Networks (WMN) suggests that their capacity can be surprisingly low due to the requirement that nodes forward each others' packets. The achievable capacity depends on the network size (i.e. number of hops), traffic patterns and detailed local radio interactions. This paper examines the capacity variation using an open source software network traffic generator and real experimental data obtained in an underground mine located in Val-d'Or, Québec, Canada.