Optimization models for routing and frequency assignment in wireless mesh networks

With the first mobile networks developed, frequency channel assignment has become a significant problem due to the limited number of licensed frequencies and cost-related concerns. The minimization of the number of frequencies assigned has become the main objective of the frequency channel assignment problems, and today this problem is applicable and relevant for wireless networks as well. In this study, we focused on routing and frequency assignment models for wireless mesh networks and proposed an integrated approach that combines these two aspects of frequency assignment problems. We modified our approach with respect to different interference models such as protocol-based or SIR-based interference. The integrated model was run for different sizes of randomly generated networks, and the results were compared with the sequential approach proposed in the literature. The impact of the size of the network and the interference model on the number of frequencies assigned were studied. It was observed that the integrated approach results in smaller numbers of frequencies assigned, yet the computation time also increases considerably. The performances of sequential and integrated models were also compared with the heuristic in the literature. Finally, the effect of the distribution of the wireless devices in the network was studied for the sequential approach