Dynamic frequency selection for next generation hierarchical wireless home area networks

This article presents a dynamic frequency selection algorithm for next generation wireless home area networks based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards. In contrast to existing WLANs, the presented architecture enables a wireless network to operate on multiple channels. This is achieved by using a hierarchical networking concept by combining a WLAN and a ZigBee network. In this approach, the ZigBee network is used as a control network to transmit messages in order to set the WLAN transmission parameters. Finally, the results of a practical implementation and evaluation are presented.