Research - Faculty
Associate Professor Stephan Bohacek
Research Interests
Current Projects
- Capacity optimization
- Component-based routing
- Exploiting Diversity in Wireless Networks
- Mobility management for large-scale urban mesh networks
- Modeling and simulation of urban mesh networks
- Propagation and Mobility Modeling for Urban Mesh Networks
Office: Evans 306
Phone: 302-831-4274
Advances in wireless communication are allowing the Internet to be extending in three important ways, namely, mesh networks, mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), and sensors networks. Prof. Bohacek's research focuses on all three types of networks. Currently, cities such as Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Taipei are preparing to deploy city-wide mesh networks. These next generation wireless networks are composed of a small number of wireless base stations and perhaps thousands of wireless relays that are mounted on rooftops and lampposts. Each relay is able to communicate with a number of nearby relays; the aggregate of all relays forms a mesh that covers the entire city. There are a number of open problems related to mesh networks including routing (finding a path through the mesh), mobility management (tracking users as they move through the network), and congestion control (determining how fast data can be sent). MANETs are similar to mesh networks; however, in this case there are no rooftop or lamppost relays. Instead, the end hosts are also relays. For example, if a MANET was formed by mobile phones, then a call would hop from mobile phone to mobile phone until it reaches the desired phone. Such networks are useful for disasters and military missions where infrastructure may be damaged or nonexistent. The MANET research problems are similar to the mesh networking problems. However, since the end host are moving, the mesh formed in MANETs is always changing, making the problems considerably more challenging. Finally, with low cost sensors, microprocessors, and batteries, it is economical to distribute large numbers of small sensors. Through wireless communication, these sensors self-organize to form a sensor network. These networks collect measurements that are forwarded through the sensor network to a base station. While many of the same problems that arise in mesh networks and MANETs also arise in sensor networks, due to the limited battery power, many of the solutions developed for mesh networks and MANETs cannot be used in sensor networks.
