Improving the reliability of optimised link state routing in a smart grid neighbour area network based wireless mesh network using multiple metrics

© 2017 by the authors; licensee MDPI. Reliable communication is the backbone of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). Within the AMI, the neighbourhood area network (NAN) transports a multitude of traffic, each with unique requirements. In order to deliver an acceptable level of reliability and latency, the underlying network, such as the wireless mesh network (WMN), must provide or guarantee the quality-of-service (QoS) level required by the respective application traffic. Existing WMN routing protocols, such as optimised link state routing (OLSR), typically utilise a single metric and do not consider the requirements of individual traffic; hence, packets are delivered on a best-effort basis. This paper presents a QoS-aware WMN routing technique that employs multiple metrics in OLSR optimal path selection for AMI applications. The problems arising from this approach are non deterministic polynomial time (NP)-complete in nature, which were solved through the combined use of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) algorithm and pruning techniques. For smart meters transmitting Internet Protocol (IP) packets of varying sizes at different intervals, the proposed technique considers the constraints of NAN and the applications' traffic characteristics. The technique was developed by combining multiple OLSR path selection metrics with the AHP algorithm in ns-2. Compared with the conventional link metric in OLSR, the results show improvements of about 23% and 45% in latency and Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR), respectively, in a 25-node grid NAN

Modelling and Analysis of Smart Grids for Critical Data Communication

Practical models for the subnetworks of smart grid are presented and analyzed. Critical packet-delay bounds for these subnetworks are determined, with the overall objective of identifying parameters that would help in the design of smart grid with least end-to-end delay. A single-server non-preemptive queueing model with prioritized critical packets is presented for Home Area Network (HAN). Closed-form expressions for critical packet delay are derived and illustrated as a function of: i) critical packet arrival rate, ii) service rate, iii) utilization factor, and iv) rate of arrival of non-critical packets. Next, wireless HANs using FDMA and TDMA are presented. Upper and lower bounds on critical packet delay are derived in closed-form as functions of: i) average of signal-to interference-plus-noise ratio, ii) random channel scale, iii) transmitted power strength, iv) received power strength, v) number of EDs, vi) critical packet size, vii) number of channels, viii) path loss component, ix) distances between electrical devices and mesh client, x) channel interference range, xi) channel capacity, xii) bandwidth of the channel, and xiii) number of time/frequency slots. Analytical and simulation results show that critical packet delay is smaller for TDMA compared to FDMA. Lastly, an Intelligent Distributed Channel-Aware Medium Access Control (IDCA-MAC) protocol for wireless HAN using Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) is presented. The protocol eliminates collision and employs Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) system to enhance system performance. Simulation results show that critical packet delay can be reduced by nearly 20% using MA-Aware protocol compared to IDCA-MAC protocol. However, the latter is superior in terms throughput. A wireless mesh backbone network model for Neighbourhood Area Network (NAN) is presented for forwarding critical packets received from HAN to an identified gateway. The routing suggested is based on selected shortest path using Voronoi tessellation. CSMA/CA and CDMA protocols are considered and closed{form upper and lower bounds on critical packet delay are derived and examined as functions of i) signal-to-noise ratio, ii) signal interference, iii) critical packet size, iv) number of channels, v) channel interference range, vi) path loss components, vii) channel bandwidth, and viii) distance between MRs. The results show that critical packet delay to gateway using CDMA is lower compared to CSMA/CA protocol. A fiber optic Wide Area Network (WAN) is presented for transporting critical packets received from NAN to a control station. A Dynamic Fastest Routing Strategy (DFRS) algorithm is used for routing critical packets to control station. Closed-form expression for mean critical packet delay is derived and is examined as a function of: i) traffic intensity, ii) capacity of fiber links, iii) number of links, iv) variance of inter-arrival time, v) variance of service time, and vi) the latency of links. It is shown that delay of critical packets to control station meets acceptable standards set for smart grid

Multiple metrics-OLSR in NAN for Advanced Metering Infrastructures

Routing in Neighbourhood Area Network (NAN) for Smart Grid's Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) raises the need for Quality of Service (QoS)-Aware routing. This is due to the expanded list of applications that will result in the transmission of different types of traffic between NAN devices (i.e smart meters). In wireless mesh network (WMN) routing, a combination of multiple link metrics, though complex, has been identified as a possible solution for QoS routing. These complexities (i.e Np complete problem) can be resolved through the use of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) algorithm and pruning techniques. With the assumption that smart meters transmit IP packets of different sizes at different interval to represent AMI traffic, a case study of the performance of three Optimised Link State Routing (OLSR) link metrics is carried out on a grid topology NAN based WMN in ns-2 network simulator. The best two performing metric were used to show the possibility of combining multiple metrics with OLSR through the AHP algorithm to fulfill the QoS routing requirements of targeted AMI application traffic in NANs

A joint multi-path and multi-channel protocol for traffic routing in smart grid neighborhood area networks

In order to improve the management mechanisms of the electric energy transport infrastructures, the smart grid networks have associated data networks that are responsible for transporting the necessary information between the different elements of the electricity network and the control center. Besides, they make possible a more efficient use of this type of energy. Part of these data networks is comprised of the Neighborhood Area Networks (NANs), which are responsible for interconnecting the different smart meters and other possible devices present at the consumers' premises with the control center. Among the proposed network technologies for NANs, wireless technologies are becoming more relevant due to their flexibility and increasing available bandwidth. In this paper, some general modifications are proposed for the routing protocol of the wireless multi-hop mesh networks standardized by the IEEE. In particular, the possibility of using multiple paths and transmission channels at the same time, depending on the quality of service needs of the different network traffic, is added. The proposed modifications have been implemented in the ns-3 simulator and evaluated in situations of high traffic load. Simulation results show improvements in the network performance in terms of packet delivery ratio, throughput and network transit time.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

QoS-aware routing for real-time and reliable wireless sensor network based Smart Grid NAN communications

International audienceThe deployment of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) within the conventional power grid has enabled new Smart Grid (SG) features and services. In this work, we focus on data routing within the distribution segment of the SG. We study communication requirements within this part of the power grid and we propose a classification of the data traffic based on Neighbourhood Area Network (NAN) communication requirements in terms of delays and reliability. Then, we introduce QoSGRACO, a routing protocol which takes account of the Quality of Service (QoS) of NAN’s traffic by using colouredpheromones ant colonies. We show, through simulations, that QoS-GRACO is able to satisfy NAN’s requirements, especially in terms of delay and reliability

A critical analysis of research potential, challenges and future directives in industrial wireless sensor networks

In recent years, Industrial Wireless Sensor Networks (IWSNs) have emerged as an important research theme with applications spanning a wide range of industries including automation, monitoring, process control, feedback systems and automotive. Wide scope of IWSNs applications ranging from small production units, large oil and gas industries to nuclear fission control, enables a fast-paced research in this field. Though IWSNs offer advantages of low cost, flexibility, scalability, self-healing, easy deployment and reformation, yet they pose certain limitations on available potential and introduce challenges on multiple fronts due to their susceptibility to highly complex and uncertain industrial environments. In this paper a detailed discussion on design objectives, challenges and solutions, for IWSNs, are presented. A careful evaluation of industrial systems, deadlines and possible hazards in industrial atmosphere are discussed. The paper also presents a thorough review of the existing standards and industrial protocols and gives a critical evaluation of potential of these standards and protocols along with a detailed discussion on available hardware platforms, specific industrial energy harvesting techniques and their capabilities. The paper lists main service providers for IWSNs solutions and gives insight of future trends and research gaps in the field of IWSNs

Smart Wireless Sensor Networks

The recent development of communication and sensor technology results in the growth of a new attractive and challenging area - wireless sensor networks (WSNs). A wireless sensor network which consists of a large number of sensor nodes is deployed in environmental fields to serve various applications. Facilitated with the ability of wireless communication and intelligent computation, these nodes become smart sensors which do not only perceive ambient physical parameters but also be able to process information, cooperate with each other and self-organize into the network. These new features assist the sensor nodes as well as the network to operate more efficiently in terms of both data acquisition and energy consumption. Special purposes of the applications require design and operation of WSNs different from conventional networks such as the internet. The network design must take into account of the objectives of specific applications. The nature of deployed environment must be considered. The limited of sensor nodes� resources such as memory, computational ability, communication bandwidth and energy source are the challenges in network design. A smart wireless sensor network must be able to deal with these constraints as well as to guarantee the connectivity, coverage, reliability and security of network's operation for a maximized lifetime. This book discusses various aspects of designing such smart wireless sensor networks. Main topics includes: design methodologies, network protocols and algorithms, quality of service management, coverage optimization, time synchronization and security techniques for sensor networks

Emergency aware congestion control for smart grid neighborhood area networks

© . This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/The evolution of traditional electricity distribution infrastructures towards Smart Grid networks has generated the need to carry out new research. There are many fields that have attracted the attention of researchers, among which is the improvement of the performance of the so-called Neighborhood Area Networks (NAN). In this sense, and given the critical nature of some of the data transmitted by these networks, maintaining an adequate quality of service (QoS) is absolutely necessary. In emergency situations, this need becomes even more evident. This article presents a congestion control mechanism, whose parameters are modified according to the network state of emergency. The mechanism also applies a multi-channel allocation technique, together with a differentiation in the QoS offered to the different data flows according to their relevance. These proposals have been evaluated in the context of a wireless mesh networks (WMN) made up by a set of smart meter devices, where various smart grids (SG) applications are sending their data traffics. Each SG application must meet its unique quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as reliability and delay. To evaluate the proposals, some NAN scenarios have been built by using the ns-3 simulator and its 802.11s basic model, which was modified to implement the proposed techniques. Compared with the basic Hybrid Wireless Mesh Protocol (HWMP), Emergency Aware Congestion Control proposal (EA-HWMP), shows significant improvements in terms of packet delivery ratio, network throughput and transit time.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Improving the Reliability of Optimised Link State Routing Protocol in Smart Grid’s Neighbour Area Network

A reliable and resilient communication infrastructure that can cope with variable application traffic types and delay objectives is one of the prerequisites that differentiates a Smart Grid from the conventional electrical grid. However, the legacy communication infrastructure in the existing electrical grid is insufficient, if not incapable of satisfying the diverse communication requirements of the Smart Grid. The IEEE 802.11 ad hoc Wireless Mesh Network (WMN) is re-emerging as one of the communication networks that can significantly extend the reach of Smart Grid to backend devices through the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). However, the unique characteristics of AMI application traffic in the Smart Grid poses some interesting challenges to conventional communication networks including the ad hoc WMN. Hence, there is a need to modify the conventional ad hoc WMN, to address the uncertainties that may exist in its applicability in a Smart Grid environment. This research carries out an in-depth study of the communication of Smart Grid application traffic types over ad hoc WMN deployed in the Neighbour Area Network (NAN). It begins by conducting a critical review of the application characteristics and traffic requirements of several Smart Grid applications and highlighting some key challenges. Based on the reviews, and assuming that the application traffic types use the internet protocol (IP) as a transport protocol, a number of Smart Grid application traffic profiles were developed. Through experimental and simulation studies, a performance evaluation of an ad hoc WMN using the Optimised Link State Routing (OLSR) routing protocol was carried out. This highlighted some capacity and reliability issues that routing AMI application traffic may face within a conventional ad hoc WMN in a Smart Grid NAN. Given the fact that conventional routing solutions do not consider the traffic requirements when making routing decisions, another key observation is the inability of link metrics in routing protocols to select good quality links across multiple hops to a destination and also provide Quality of Service (QoS) support for target application traffic. As with most routing protocols, OLSR protocol uses a single routing metric acquired at the network layer, which may not be able to accommodate different QoS requirements for application traffic in Smart Grid. To address these problems, a novel multiple link metrics approach to improve the reliability performance of routing in ad hoc WMN when deployed for Smart Grid is presented. It is based on the OLSR protocol and explores the possibility of applying QoS routing for application traffic types in NAN based ad hoc WMN. Though routing in multiple metrics has been identified as a complex problem, Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) techniques such as the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and pruning have been used to perform such routing on wired and wireless multimedia applications. The proposed multiple metrics OLSR with AHP is used to offer the best available route, based on a number of considered metric parameters. To accommodate the variable application traffic requirements, a study that allows application traffic to use the most appropriate routing metric is presented. The multiple metrics development is then evaluated in Network Simulator 2.34; the simulation results demonstrate that it outperforms existing routing methods that are based on single metrics in OLSR. It also shows that it can be used to improve the reliability of application traffic types, thereby overcoming some weaknesses of existing single metric routing across multiple hops in NAN. The IEEE 802.11g was used to compare and analyse the performance of OLSR and the IEEE 802.11b was used to implement the multiple metrics framework which demonstrate a better performance than the single metric. However, the multiple metrics can also be applied for routing on different IEEE wireless standards, as well as other communication technologies such as Power Line Communication (PLC) when deployed in Smart Grid NAN