Centralized vs Decentralized Resource Analysis of Green FiWi Networks

Fiber Wireless (FiWi) networks have recently emerged as one of the preferred solutions for high-speed internet as they provide large capacity, high stability, and user mobility. This paper considers a real-time campus wireless local area network (WLAN) deployment scenario. The resource allocation framework to power the FiWi network components such as optical network units (ONUs) and access points (APs) is analyzed. Specifically, an off-grid scenario is considered wherein the ONU and AP collectively called ‘ONU-AP’ is powered through photo-voltaic (PV) panels and batteries. We propose a three-step iterative algorithm (TSIA) to compute the minimum resource requirement of the ONU-AP. A comparative analysis of resource requirements for two network setups is presented, namely, a) decentralized setup- where each remotely located ONU-AP has its own power source and b) centralized setup- where the ONU-APs are powered by the centralized power unit. The results presented show that the centralized power setup for the FiWi network is more power-efficient compared to the decentralized setup. Furthermore, a carbon footprint analysis to compare the carbon dioxide (CO
2
) emissions for the centralized and decentralized setups is also presented in the paper.