An Experimental Study of Multimedia Traffic Performance in Mesh Networks

Performance evaluation and analysis of wireless networks is essential because testbed experiments facilitate a better understanding of network and application characteristics. This understanding of performance, in turn, results in robust protocol design. In this paper, we present an experimental study of multimedia traffic performance in mesh networks. We evaluate the performance of video and voice traffic through multi-hop wireless paths and study the capacity of the mesh network. We also investigate the impact of different traffic and network characteristics on application performance. The impact of different wireless network interface card configurations is examined, followed by our suggestions for how to improve performance. We believe our study is beneficial for both wireless network capacity planning and robust protocol design for wireless applications and services. Other researchers can also draw upon our traffic measurement experience for their own mesh testbed experiments.