Capacity Enhancement of Hybrid Wireless Optical Networks Using MIMO Links

Wireless mesh networks play a key role in the overall performance of hybrid wireless optical access networks. In many cases, the wireless multihop network causes a bottleneck and under- utilizes the network resources. In this paper, we propose a new approach to increase the wireless network capacity by enhancing the congested links, normally those which are closer to the gateways, using MIMO antennas. We are mainly interested in determining the links which provide the network with the highest improvement if they get enhanced. We suggest a TDMA-based framework for link activation to avoid interference, and the problem is formulated as an integer linear program. Based on the optimal solution, we assign a few extra antenna modules to some critical transceivers to significantly increase the entire capacity of the network. We also propose a simple routing algorithm based on the optimal schedule which handles the variations of traffic demand efficiently.