Future Research Directions on Opportunistic Routing in Wireless Mesh Networks
                     FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS 
ON OPPORTUNISTIC ROUTING IN 
WIRELESS MESH NETWORKS
An Academic presentation by 
Dr. Nancy Agnes, Head, Technical Operations, Tutors 
India 
Group www.tutorsindia.com
Email: [email protected]
WHAT IS A WIRELESS MESH NETWORK?
• The communication networks consisting of wireless nodes arranged in a mesh topology are known as 
wireless mesh networks (WMNs). A mesh topology is the interconnection of the nodes in the network that 
are connected to each other, resulting in a mesh-like structure.
• The network is decentralised, and only forwarding data to the neighbouring node is possible, thereby 
simplifying the network structure. 
• Wireless Mesh Network enables people working in remote areas to stay connected to the internet.

WHAT IS OPPORTUNISTIC ROUTING?
• Opportunistic routing (OR), also called diversity forwarding or any path routing,  is a relatively new area for 
wireless networks wherein the node closest to the target node is used for forwarding the data, making OR a 
possible future power network. 
• The efficiency, throughput, and reliability of sensor networks have been improved due to opportunistic routing. 
Many energy-saving strategies have been established in wireless networks using opportunistic routing to 
extend network lifetime (Jadhav, 2016).
RESEARCH ON OPPORTUNISTIC ROUTING IN WIRELESS MESH 
NETWORKS
• Research has been conducted on the applications of Opportunistic routing in Wireless Mesh Networks
CONT
D
• The research focussed on:
• Performance Modelling
• Candidate Selection Algorithms
• Distance Progress based Opportunistic routing, and 
• Multicast-based opportunistic routing
PERFORMANCE MODELLING 
• A Discrete Time Markov Chain (DTMC) was used to analyse the performance of Wireless Mesh Networks that 
may be achieved using Opportunistic Routing. 
• The nodes represent the states of the chain, and the state transitions represent how the packet moves through 
the network. This model yields a discrete phase-type distribution with straightforward equations for distribution 
and moments. 
CONT
D
• Opportunistic routing also significantly reduced the number of transmissions, which is especially important for 
networks requiring Quality of Service (QoS)
CANDIDATE SELECTION
• The primary goal of OR protocols is to reduce the number of transmissions from a source to a particular 
destination. The candidate selection method is a critical issue in OR for achieving this goal.
• A new approach, the Heuristic Candidate Selection algorithm, based on Optimum Delivery Probability (HU-
COP), discovers candidates whose link delivery probabilities are similar to the link delivery probabilities of 
optimum candidates.
• According to the results, HU-COP outperforms the well-known ExOR. Furthermore, the performance results of 
HU-COP in many settings are quite near to the results of the optimal algorithm. Furthermore, HU-COP 
identifies candidate sets significantly more quickly.
CONT
D
DISTANCE PROGRESS-BASED OPPORTUNISTIC ROUTING
• Distance Progress Based Opportunistic Routing (DPOR) is an opportunistic routing system that prioritises relay 
nodes based on their distance progress to the destination. 
• DPOR is a fast and efficient algorithm for selecting candidates. DPOR requires much lesser information than other 
types of OR. 
• The main advantage of DPOR is that it considers the dynamic movement of nodes and chooses relay candidates 
who are more likely to carry the data closer to the destination.
• This can assist in reducing voids (areas with no functional relay nodes) and enhance overall delivery rates in 
opportunistic networks 
CONT
D
MULTICAST BASED OPPORTUNISTIC ROUTING
• Multicast based opportunistic routing is a type of opportunistic routing that was 
developed to transport multicast traffic efficiently on wireless networks. 
• Multicast communication simultaneously delivers data packets from a source 
node to several destination nodes. 
• Research on multicast-based opportunistic training involved proposing a 
scheme to maximise video reception quality. A dynamic algorithm was 
developed, and the results have shown improvement in the multicast network 
compared to the existing schemes 
CONT
D
FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS
• Wireless Mesh Networks have been proposed as one of the primary choices for the future generation of wireless 
networking. Opportunistic Routing has been presented as an approach to using the unique characteristics of wireless 
networks by selecting various nodes for forwarding the message, significantly improving the performance of Wireless 
Mash Networks.
• The following are the possible future directions for Opportunistic Routing in Wireless Mash Networks:
• For improving the efficiency of WMNs, a correct candidate selection is a must. Research focussing on 
improving candidate selection is needed.
• Research focussing on improving candidate coordination using existing technologies is needed by 
developing suitable algorithms. 
• -Research could be done for WMNs where the nodes do not have mobility. 
• -Another research direction is using the OR approach for broadcasting a packet to all nodes in the 
networks. 
• Research on developing safe OR protocols and incorporating them into the existing security structures 
to create a more robust and secure information delivery service can be considered
CONT
D
CONCLUSION 
• Wireless Mash Networks are communication networks where the devices or nodes are connected in a mesh-like 
structure. In opportunistic routing, the node closest to the target node is used for forwarding data. 
• The applications of opportunistic routing in wireless mesh networks focussed on performance modelling, candidate 
selection, distance progress based opportunistic routing and Multicast based opportunistic routing. 
• Future research can be done on improving candidate selection and candidate coordination, developing safer 
opportunistic routing protocols, wireless mesh networks with no mobility and broadcasting a packet to all nodes in the 
network.
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