Multihop wireless IEEE 802.11 LANs: a prototype implementation

We present a prototype for a new architecture, MCN (multihop cellular network), implemented over a wireless LAN platform. MCN preserves the virtue of traditional single-hop cellular networks where the service infrastructure is constructed by many bases, but it also adds the flexibility of ad-hoc networks where wireless transfer through mobile stations in multiple hops is allowed. The MCN can reduce the number of required bases or improve the throughput performance. On IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless LAN products, a bridging protocol, our BMBP (base-driven multihop bridging protocol), runs between mobile stations and access points to build bridging tables. The demonstration shows that MCN is a feasible architecture for wireless LANs.