Routing metric for wireless mesh networks using partially overlapped channels

Partially overlapped channels (POCs) are believed to be helpful in further eliminating interference and improving network throughput, but the interference between POCs is more complicated than that of orthogonal channels (OCs), so traditional routing metrics specifically designed for wireless mesh networks (WMNs) using OCs are not suitable for WMNs using POCs. In this paper, we propose a load and interference-aware transmission time routing metric, which can recognize heavy load and heavy interference areas in the network and guide flows bypass these areas. Simulations show that our metric can dramatically improve the whole network performance in terms of network throughput and end-to-end delay.