QoS Extension to a B.A.T.M.A.N. based LoRa Mesh Network

Abstract

To be useful, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) must be relied upon even when dispersed across environments that lack consistent internet access. To this end, we propose a mesh network architecture based on the Better Approach to Mobile Ad-hoc Networking (B.A.T.M.A.N.) algorithm in conjunction with the long range, low power communication protocol, LoRa, to transmit messages. Adaptations including methods of time synchronization, slotted ALOHA transmission and Quality of Service (QoS) considerations with a network-traffic-aware data routing protocol for a multi-source/multi-sink network configuration have been implemented. With this solution, nodes can create an ad-hoc network, sharing internet access and greatly expanding the network coverage without the need for any additional infrastructure. Our QoS-aware routing metrics have been tested in simulation and show performance improvements over traditional B.A.T.M.A.N. destination routing algorithms in these low data rate systems.