A multi-radio unification protocol for IEEE 802.11 wireless networks

We present a link layer protocol called the multi-radio unification protocol or MUP. On a single node, MUP coordinates the operation of multiple wireless network cards tuned to non-overlapping frequency channels. The goal of MUP is to optimize local spectrum usage via intelligent channel selection in a multihop wireless network. MUP works with standard-compliant IEEE 802.11 hardware, does not require changes to applications or higher-level protocols, and can be deployed incrementally. The primary usage scenario for MUP is a multihop community wireless mesh network, where cost of the radios and battery consumption are not limiting factors. We describe the design and implementation of MUP, and analyze its…