A wireless access network comprises a plurality of nodes, such as access points (APs), (i.e., base stations), access routers and wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU). The nodes are connected to each other to establish a backhaul network. Traffic which originates from or is destined to the network is routed through the backhaul network.
The backhaul network may be established with wireless communication links. Establishing a backhaul network with wireless communication links has advantages over a wired backhaul network, such as ease of deployment, low cost and flexibility to implement future changes.
In a wireless backhaul network, interference from other co-deployed networks not only affects the radio links between the nodes and WTRUs operating in the affected region, but also the links between the network nodes.
A mesh network is a network comprising a plurality of nodes, each of which is connected to at least one neighboring node such that traffic may be routed via one or more hops through the network. In the mesh network, a degradation of the link throughput between two nodes is carefully observed for routing purposes, since the throughput on a critical link could affect the overall performance of the network. The degradation can be caused by several factors, such as an increase in interference. As the degradation exceeds a certain level, an alternative routing path is allocated through the mesh network. The time-varying and dynamic nature of the mesh network topology makes it necessary to take interference into account beyond initial deployment.
For example, if a wireless backhaul network is deployed next to an existing wireless network, additional interference generated by the subsequent network can bring down some of the links in the existing network. This is a potential problem, especially in public bands such as the 2.4 GHz industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band with scarce frequency channels.
When two mesh networks are operating simultaneously in the same proximity, one or more of the nodes of a first mesh network may roam close to a second mesh network. This may cause interruption or severe interference to the second mesh network. This is especially problematic with radio equipment having relaxed adjacent channel protection and receiver sensitivity requirements. Therefore, there is a need for dynamic radio resource management and access coordination for the radio access network.