Relay selection in Bluetooth Mesh networks by embedding genetic algorithms in a Digital Communication Twin

Abstract

Bluetooth Mesh (BM) technology is a suitable candidate to realize mesh networks leveraging on a mains-powered backbone. However, the flooding-based technology requires additional management in order to operate efficiently. Consequently, it offers a diverse set of configuration options to control network behavior, including the selection of relays in the backbone that rebroadcast packets further into the network. In the past, Digital Twin technology has been applied to design a Digital Communication Twin (DCT) of a BM network. The DCT (or Digital Twin Network, DTN) can be used to find an optimal network configuration for given application requirements. This includes a relay selection approach that finds a set of relays to assure sufficient path redundancy in the network. However, existing results prove that this approach can be improved in terms of computation time, flexibility and validity of the proposed set of relays. In this paper, we present a reinterpreted version of a genetic algorithm to tackle this issue. The results show it achieves better results on all three improvement targets, compared to the original approach. Furthermore, it showcases the flexibility and adaptability of the DCT whilst adequately improving the relay selection approach.