Adaptive Interference-Aware Multi-Channel Clustering Algorithm in a ZigBee Network in the Presence of WLAN Interference

Abstract

In ubiquitous networking environments, we generally need two or more heterogeneous communication systems coexisting in a single place. Especially, wireless local area networks (WLANs) based on IEEE 802.11 specifications and wireless personal area networks (WPANs) based on IEEE 802.15.4b or g specifications need to coexist in the same Industrial, Science and Medial (ISM) band. If the WPAN communication coverage is expanded using a cluster-tree network topology, then the 802.15.4 network is more susceptible to interference from neighboring WLANs. In this paper, we propose an adaptive interferenceaware clustering algorithm using multiple channels in a WPAN in the presence of WLAN interference. The algorithm includes interference detection and avoidance schemes to adaptively reconfigure multiple channels in an IEEE 802.15.4 cluster-tree network to avoid interference from WLANs. To evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, the frame error rate (FER) is measured in a real network testbed. The measurement result shows that the proposed algorithm is effective in an IEEE 802.15.4 cluster-tree network in the presence of multiple IEEE 802.11 interferers.

Coexistence between IEEE802.15.4 and IEEE802.11 through cross-technology signaling

“…The technique that is easiest to implement, and thus most commonly used, is selecting channels to achieve minimal frequency overlap by different technologies. This solution consists of detecting channel loads and choosing the 'best channel' accordingly [4]. Due to the increasing number of devices using the same wireless medium it becomes less feasible to select a channel that has a lower degree of occupancy.…”

“…The WMP implementation allows easy generation of the beacon pattern by generating packets of predefined length at specific moments. For the IEEE802.15.4 nodes, a TDMA has been implemented in TAISC 4 , which is an architecture for easy MAC protocol creation [13]. By modifying the existing TDMA protocols, it became possible to detect the energy beacon.…”

Centralized Control for Dynamic Channel Allocation in IEEE 802.15.4 Based Wireless Sensor Networks

“…Even in the distributed methods like [20] and [21], the fixed mechanism is needed although it might not best suit current interference environment. This work utilizes the centralized approach, in which the decision on channel allocation is done by the network coordinator based on the collected frequency scanning information from end devices as well as interference detection notification.…”

“…The limitation of such system is that it is suitable for a star topology and small scale network, where entire network can simply changes channel together. For a larger scale networks, [2] and [3] propose the channel switching algorithm, which only a group of interfered nodes perform channel switching to use an available channel. The approaches provide more flexible channel allocation, however the decision making is done locally without any central control.…”

Cognitive Wireless Sensor Networks: Intelligent Channel Assignment

“…The central control mechanism is aimed at broadcasting control channel message to the entire network embedded with information on suitable channel to be used. [3] presents active interference detection schemes, which ensure that the channel changing mechanism is done based on node clustering. The drawback of central control comes from the fact that it relies on availability of dedicated control channel, hence significantly limits the networks' scalability and robustness.…”