Energy-Efficient mm-Wave Backhauling via Frame Aggregation in Wide Area Networks

TL;DR

This paper proposes a scalable, energy-efficient wireless backhaul architecture using IEEE 802.11ad for large-area seismic surveys, featuring a novel frame aggregation scheme that reduces power consumption while maintaining real-time data transfer.

Contribution

It introduces a new wireless backhaul architecture and a frame aggregation power-saving scheme tailored for large-scale, high-density seismic survey networks, supported by real-world models.

Findings

Supports real-time data acquisition in large, dense areas

Reduces power consumption significantly compared to traditional methods

Enhances network lifetime for seismic surveys

Abstract

Wide area networks for surveying applications, such as seismic acquisition, have been witnessing a significant increase in node density and area, where large amounts of data have to be transferred in real-time. While cables can meet these requirements, they account for a majority of the equipment weight, maintenance, and labor costs. A novel wireless network architecture, compliant with the IEEE 802.11ad standard, is proposed for establishing scalable, energy-efficient, and gigabit-rate backhaul across very large areas. Statistical path-loss and line-of-sight models are derived using real-world topographic data in well-known seismic regions. Additionally, a cross-layer analytical model is derived for 802.11 systems that can characterize the overall latency and power consumption under the impact of co-channel interference. On the basis of these models, a Frame Aggregation Power-Saving Backhaul (FA-PSB) scheme is proposed for near-optimal power conservation under a latency constraint, through a duty-cycled approach. A performance evaluation with respect to the survey size and data generation rate reveals that the proposed architecture and the FA-PSB scheme can support real-time acquisition in large-scale high-density scenarios while operating with minimal power consumption, thereby enhancing the lifetime of wireless seismic surveys. The FA-PSB scheme can be applied to cellular backhaul and sensor networks as well.