A Routing Metric for Inter-flow Interference-aware Flying Multi-hop Networks

TL;DR

This paper introduces I2R, a new routing metric for Flying Multi-hop Networks that minimizes inter-flow interference without control packets, significantly improving throughput and delay in UAV-based broadband scenarios.

Contribution

The paper proposes I2R, an interference-aware routing metric for FMNs that reduces overhead and enhances network performance by selecting low-interference, minimal-distance paths.

Findings

I2R outperforms existing metrics in throughput and delay.

I2R does not require control packets for interference estimation.

Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of I2R in UAV networks.

Abstract

The growing demand for broadband communications anytime, anywhere has paved the way to the usage of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for providing Internet access in areas without network infrastructure and enhancing the performance of existing networks. However, the usage of Flying Multi-hop Networks (FMNs) in such scenarios brings up significant challenges concerning network routing, in order to permanently provide the Quality of Service expected by the users. The problem is exacerbated in crowded events, where the FMN may be formed by many UAVs to address the traffic demand, causing inter-flow interference within the FMN. Typically, estimating inter-flow interference is not straightforward and requires the exchange of probe packets, thus increasing network overhead. The main contribution of this paper is an inter-flow interference-aware routing metric, named I2R, designed for centralized routing in FMNs with controllable topology. I2R does not require any control packets and enables the configuration of paths with minimal Euclidean distance formed by UAVs with the lowest number of neighbors in carrier-sense range, thus minimizing inter-flow interference in the FMN. Simulation results show the I2R superior performance, with significant gains in terms of throughput and end-to-end delay, when compared with state of the art routing metrics.