1Practical Guidelines for Implementing a WMN Testbed: From Design to Deployment

The importance of a testbed has increased in the area of Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) with a rapid deployment of commercial wireless networks. In this article we present practical experience learned in implementing our Wireless Mesh (WiMesh) testbed that has 56 nodes deployed in the campus area providing internet connection for over 1000 users. From the design phase that includes hardware/software selection to the large-scale outdoor deployment, we cover in-depth surveys and explore the whole considerations and procedures for the purpose of developing new WMN architecture and protocols. We then briefly present our WiVi tool developed to efficiently manage large-scale WMNs