Wireless Mesh Network as a Catalyst for Developing Countries

Decentralized access to information is an important factor in solving global poverty. High quality access to information enables economic development through easy and fast access to price, data, weather conditions, credit facilities and market opportunities. Internet access can also enable transparency in government and administration. One potential way to provide low cost access is by using mesh networks, a combination of interconnected wireless ad hoc networks. However, the quality of the networks depends on a number of factors such as the type of protocol used, the devices used and the geographic terrain. In this research, various hardware and software combinations are studied to come up with suitable combinations for hilly terrains. In the initial phase, the research is focused on simulation data collected using Omnet++. In the later part of the research, the different hardware and software combinations are demonstrated and modified using Raspberry Pi and XBees. Different terrains are simulated using construction materials to assess the impact of different terrain on the configurations. Performance metrics include speed and bandwidth as well as the efficiency of data routing using the different protocols in different scenarios. The benchmarking result can be used to support the development of mesh networks in developing countries such as Nepal, where mountainous terrain makes wired and simple wireless networks difficult to implement. Specific outcomes are a cataloging of the efficiencies of different protocols and configurations under different conditions