A scalable delay based analytical framework for CSMA/CA wireless mesh networks

We present an analytical framework for the performance analysis of CSMA/CA based wireless mesh networks. This framework can provide an accurate throughput-delay evaluation for both saturated and unsaturated cases. An efficient algorithm that determines the collision domain for each node based on both the interference range and routing in the network is presented. As another important application of this framework, we develop an analytic model that enables us to obtain closed form expressions for delay in terms of multipath routing variables. A flow-deviation algorithm is used to derive the optimal flow over a given set of routes for any number of classes. The model takes into account the effects of neighbor interference and hidden terminals, and tools are provided to make it feasible for the performance analysis and optimization of large-scale networks. Numerical results are presented for different network topologies and compared with simulation studies.