Design and implementation of roaming in wireless mesh network based on SDN

Wireless mesh networks (WMNs) have been broadly accepted as a high-performance and low-cost solution to last-mile broadband internet access. But it is still difficult to reach seamless roaming. This paper proposes a software-defined wireless mesh network (SD-WMN) providing seamless roaming services. The advantages of the SD-WMN include: (1) reducing the handover latency and the number of lost packets by a quick disconnect mechanism; (2) updating the node flow table in time from a logically-centralized controller. Experiments taken in the streaming media VOD system have proved the feasibility and efficiency of SD-WMN.