Siva Subramani

An address autoconfiguration protocol for IPv6 hosts in a mobile ad hoc network

A mobile ad hoc network is an infrastructure-free wireless network that is built on the fly. Since central administration or configuration by the users is impractical in such networks, autoconfiguration of network nodes is highly desirable. In this paper, we propose an approach to IPv6 address autoconfiguration in ad hoc networks, where we apply the IPv6 Stateless Address Autoconfiguration Protocol and Neighbour Discovery Protocol to the context of ad hoc networks. It overcomes some of the limitations of existing protocols. In particular, we consider the scenarios of network partitioning and merging. A distributed scheme for duplicate address detection is also discussed. We evaluate the performance of our solution through simulation experiments.

WISEMEN: White Space for Smart Metering

In this paper we present a case for Smart Metering to be a prime application of TV White Spaces (TVWS) and investigate network architecture to enable smart metering communication in TVWS that ensures access reliability, primary user protection (if one exists) and efficient use of spectrum. We consider the communication access network connecting the smart meters to the concentrator as a wireless mesh network and propose using Radio Environment Maps (REMs) in conjunction with a geo-location database to manage the channel being used by the concentrator for communicating with the smart metering nodes. We also examine through emulation based experiments, the effect of primary user arrival interval on the packet delivery ratio of the smart meter nodes and the time it takes for the network to migrate to a vacant channel subsequent to detecting primary activity on the operating channel. Our findings suggest that it is feasible to realise smart metering communications in the TVWS and that the proposed mechanism shows good adaptive behaviour.

Performance of simple and Smart PHY/MAC mechanisms for Body Area Networks

Measuring the living condition and health status of users using small sensing devices and collecting the data of each user over wireless networks is expected to be a new trend in healthcare. Body Area Network (BAN) is an emerging area of personal data communications that will facilitate the capture of data and its collection. Although the IEEE 802.15.6 standard for wireless body area networks was created for this purpose, it is very complex and is unsuitable for ultra low power sensors. A new BAN specification, under the Technical Committee (TC) on SmartBAN, is now being considered in the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) targeting ultra low power devices. Some of the technical requirements of the new Smart BAN system includes ultra-low power consumption, coexistence with other wireless systems, a timely access mechanism and optimum control of quality of service (QoS) for emergency signals. A simple and energy efficient MAC/PHY system has been proposed by the authors as part of the ETSI TC Smart BAN specifications. In this paper, we introduce and evaluate our proposed Smart BAN system which is based on two channels, a control channel and a data channel. The control channel is used for announcements from which both nodes and neighboring hubs are able to gather information for use in co-existence algorithms as well as for initial connection setup. Our proposed system uses simple time division multiple access (TDMA) in the data channel so that the power consumption of nodes is kept low. A shared access mechanism has also been proposed to reduce the latency of emergency signals. We evaluate the access delay and power consumption of our system in this paper, and show that the proposed shared access mechanism reduces the latency of emergency signals.

Deployment and interface design considerations for Radio Environment Maps

Radio Environment Map (REM) is an integrated database consisting of multi-domain information including the spectrum availability profile, geographical features, regulations, relevant policies, radio equipment profile, past experiences, etc. In this paper we analyse the integration of REM with the wider communication system and how it interfaces with the relevant network entities. REM is primarily designed to facilitate network establishment and to improve operational performance and radio resource management. The REM computes complex temporal and spatial aspects of radio environment by gathering information from various spectrum sensing sources, and thus has interface with heterogeneous devices. In this paper we particularly look at the different interfaces of REM with other potential entities in the architecture. The interface design must take into consideration the stakeholders providing REM facilities and the architecture in which the functions are mapped. These are necessarily scenario specific as they depend on the motivation, benefits and incentives for using the REM approach. For selected use case scenarios, we draw architectural interface design considerations and network mapping.

An overview of ETSI TC SmartBAN MAC protocol

In this paper we introduce medium access control (MAC) protocol defined by ETSI TC (technical committee) SmartBAN (smart body area network). The key features of the protocol are a two-channel concept with different channels for data and control traffic, and a unique Multi-use Channel Access as one alternative channel access mode. The two-channel concept provides fast channel acquisition and easy Hub to Hub communications. Multi-use Channel Access guarantees for very-low latency emergency messaging for time-critical applications. In addition, Re-use Access mode of the Multi-use Channel Access enables the utilization of the scheduled but unused time slots thus increasing the channel utilization. The protocol is mainly a joint work between Centre for Wireless Communications (CWC) at the University of Oulu and Toshiba Research Europe Ltd.

Admission Control and Route Discovery for QoS Traffic in Ad Hoc Networks

As wireless networks become more widely used, there is a growing need to support advanced services, such as real-time multimedia streaming and voice over IP. Real-time traffic in wireless ad hoc networks often have stringent bandwidth or delay requirements. For example, a delay of over 150 ms in voice transmissions is felt as disturbing by most users. To support quality of service (QoS) requirements of real-time applications, various traffic control mechanisms such as rate control and admission control are needed. In this paper, an admission control and route discovery scheme for QoS traffic is proposed. It is based on on-demand routing protocols and performs admission control implicitly during the route discovery process. Local bandwidth measurements are used in admission control decisions. Simulation results have shown that this admission control scheme can greatly improve network performance such as packet delivery ratio and delay.