Feedback-controlled WLAN: Achieving Channel-Availability in Mesh Networks

Wireless mesh networks are a promising backbone-solution for applications in industrial automation. However, high availability of the communication channel is not inherently guaranteed because of environment-dynamics and unauthorized users congesting the medium. In this paper we propose a method to increase channel-availability. We use an automated coverage planning method with feedback from the environment to cope with environment-dynamics. Unauthorized users can be automatically localized: this eases their finding and elimination. Our experimental evaluation shows that the method estimates the actual network coverage with an accuracy of 10 dB; users are located with 3.7 m accuracy on average. The main improvement of the coverage planning and localization methods is the achieved autonomy in dynamic environments. Therefore channel-availability also increases.