Resource-Minimized Channel Assignment for Multi-Transceiver Wireless Networks

In this paper, we examine the problem of channel assignment in multi-hop wireless networks in which each node is equipped with multiple transceivers. We summarize various approaches to transceiver channel assignment. Most approaches in the literature seek to assign a channel to each available transceiver. In contrast, we seek to achieve a baseline connected topology that conserves resources, keeping some fraction of the transceivers inactive so as to dynamically react to changing traffic stimuli. We call our scheme resource-minimized channel assignment (RMCA). We show that RMCA achieves basic network connectivity and low interference, while using fewer resources compared to other protocols, and performs well under varied node density and number of transceivers per node. Finally, we evaluate several channel assignment schemes through simulation using a set of widely-accepted networking and graph-theoretic metrics.