Skip to main content
Log in

Performance Evaluation of Large-scale RF-Mesh Networks in a Smart City Context

  • Published:
Mobile Networks and Applications Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Driven by the need of robust, cost-effective, and ready-to-use solutions to connect wirelessly thousands to million of nodes, an increasing number of applications such as Smart Grids and IoT networks use large-scale Wireless Mesh Networks as transmission support. Tools and methodologies to study the performance of such systems are constantly sought and become fundamental in the feasibility assessment of the high number of possible applications. In this paper, a simulation tool is proposed to study the performance of a particular kind of Wireless Mesh Network, based on the RF-Mesh technology. The modular nature of the implemented tool allows for a smooth extension to the performance analysis of other types of Wireless Mesh Networks using technologies similar to RF-Mesh. The tool was implemented in the context of a large-scale Smart Grid AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) system. The tool, coded in Java and Python, considers different types of traffic and provides the end-to-end delay and several other performance indexes of large scale (i.e., with several thousand nodes) instances in the order of minutes. A realistic large-scale case study of a smart city is also presented to assess the suitability of the RF-Mesh technology for some IoT and smart city applications, that do not require a very small delay.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Malandra F, Sansò B (2017) A simulation tool for the performance evaluation of large-scale RF-mesh networks for smart grid and IoT applications. In: Proceedings the 1st EAI international conference on smart grid assisted internet of things (SGIoT 2017)

  2. Malandra F, Sansò B (2015) Analytical performance analysis of a large-scale RF-mesh smart meter communication system

  3. Malandra F, Sansò B (2015) PeRF-Mesh: a performance analysis tool for large scale RF-Mesh-based smart meter networks with FHSS. In: Proceedings IEEE international conference on smart grid communications (SmartGridComm), Miami USA

  4. AlMajali A, Viswanathan A, Neuman C (2012) Analyzing resiliency of the smart grid communication architectures under cyber attack. In: Proceedings 5th workshop on Cyber security experimentation and test

  5. Yigit M, Yoney EA, Gungor VC (2013) Performance of MAC protocols for wireless sensor networks in harsh smart grid environment. In: Proceedings 1st international black sea conference on communications and networking (BlackSeaCom), pp 50–53

  6. Aalamifar F, Lampe L, Bavarian S, Crozier E (2014) WiMAX technology in smart distribution networks: Architecture, modeling, and applications. In: Proceedings IEEE PES transmission and distribution conference and exposition

  7. Iyer G, Agrawal P, Monnerie E, Cardozo R (2011) Performance analysis of wireless mesh routing protocols for smart utility networks. In: Proceedings IEEE International Conference on Smart Grid Communications (SmartGridComm 2011), pp 114–119

  8. Chen D, Brown J, Khan JY (2013) 6LoWPAN based neighborhood area network for a smart grid communication infrastructure. In: Proceedings 5th International Conference on Ubiquitous and Future Networks (ICUFN 2013), pp 576–581

  9. Islam M, Uddin MM, Mamun MAA, Kader MA (2014) Performance analysis of AMI distributed area network using WiMAX technology. In: Proceedings 9th International Forum on Strategic Technology (IFOST 2014)

  10. Bian D, Kuzlu M, Pipattanasomporn M, Rahman S (2014) Analysis of communication schemes for advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). In: Proceedings 2014 IEEE PES General Meeting. IEEE, p 5

  11. Patel A, Aparicio J, Tas N, Loiacono M, Rosca J (2011) Assessing communications technology options for smart grid applications. In: Proceedings IEEE International Conference on Smart Grid Communications (SmartGridComm). IEEE, pp 126–131

  12. Panchadcharam S, Taylor GA, Ni Q, Pisica I, Fateri S (2012) Performance evaluation of smart metering infrastructure using simulation tool. In: Proceedings 47th International Universities Power Engineering Conference (UPEC 2012), pp 1–6

  13. Iyer G, Agrawal P, Cardozo R (2013) Performance comparison of routing protocols over smart utility networks: A simulation study. In: Proceedings 5th IEEE international workshop on management of emerging networks and services (IEEE, Globecom Workshops), pp 969–73

  14. Lichtensteiger B, Bjelajac B, Muller C, Wietfeld C (2010) RF-Mesh systems for smart metering: system architecture and performance. In: Proceedings 1st IEEE international conference on smart grid communications (SmartGridComm 2010), pp 379–384

  15. Kulkarni P, Gormus S, Fan Z, Ramos F (2012) Ami mesh networks: A practical solution and its performance evaluation. IEEE Trans Smart Grid 3(3):1469–1481

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Elyengui S, Bouhouchi R, Ezzedine T (2015) LOADng routing protocol evaluation for bidirectional data flow in AMI mesh networks, International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering, vol 5

  17. Hydroquebec (2012) Remote meter-reading project phase 1, online, “Regie de l’energie du Quebec”. http://publicsde.regie-energie.qc.ca/projets/34/DocPrj/R-3770-2011-B-0157-TRAD-DOC-2012_05_23.pdf

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Louis-Philippe Lafontaine-Bédard and Laurent Olivier Chiquette for their help in the development of the Graphical Interface used to display the results in this work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Filippo Malandra.

Additional information

This paper is an extended version of the paper “A Simulation Tool for the Performance Evaluation of Large-scale RF-Mesh Networks for Smart Grid and IoT Applications” [1] which was presented in the conference SGIoT 2017, held in Sault St. Marie, Ontario in July 2017.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Malandra, F., Sansò, B. Performance Evaluation of Large-scale RF-Mesh Networks in a Smart City Context. Mobile Netw Appl 23, 912–920 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11036-017-0958-y

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11036-017-0958-y

Keywords

Navigation