On the interdependency between multi-channel scheduling and tree-based routing for WSNs in smart grid environments
Özet
Field tests show that the link-quality of wireless links in different smart grid environments,
such as outdoor substation, varies greatly both in space and time because of various factors, including multi-path, fading, node contentions, radio frequency (RF) interference,
and noise. This leads to both time and location dependent capacity limitations of wireless
links in smart grid environments. To improve network capacity in such environments, multichannel communication and the use of proper routing topologies emerge as efficient
solutions to achieve simultaneous, interference-free transmissions over multiple channels.
In this paper, we explore the impact of multi-channel communication and the selection of
efficient routing topologies on the performance of wireless sensors networks in different
smart grid spectrum environments. Particularly, we evaluate the network performance
using a receiver-based channel selection method and using different routing trees, including routing trees constructed considering the link qualities, Capacitated Minimum Spanning Trees (CMSTs), capacitated minimum spanning tree considering link qualities and
Minimum Hop Spanning Trees (MHSTs). We focus on performance measures such as delay
and throughput that can benefit from the simultaneous parallel transmissions and show
that the use multiple channels together with routing trees that consider network capacity
and link quality, i.e., capacitated minimum spanning tree considering link qualities, substantially improve the network performance in harsh smart-grid environments compared
to single-channel communication and minimum-hop routing trees.
