The WatWire Group

Welcome to the WatWire Research Group. Our research is focused on realizing Commodity Wireless Networks. As such, we typically assume 802.11 NICs and single board computers such as those available from Soekris or PC Engines. wireless mesh or delay tolerant.

An alternative is a wireless solution that does not require right-of-way, or new wire and/or fibre deployment. It is illustrated below:

In this approach wireless mesh routers forward data from mobile (or at least wireless) devices over wireless links rather than over wireline links. The mesh routers may be end devices themselves, in that they may be the source/destination for data, rather than simply forwarding data for others. Since there are few uses (though not none) for connecting to others locally, most wireless mesh networks will have one or more gateways to their relevant network type (typically the Internet, though it could just as easily be the 'phone network).

Such wireless mesh networks have multiple applications, largely based on their ease and low cost of deployment. Adding more nodes to a WMN improves it, increasing both reliability and coverage. These properties make wireless mesh networks well suited to rural areas and poorer countries, rapid deployment in conferences and disaster relief areas, and competition in last-mile connectivity.