The IEEE 802.11s Extended Service Set Mesh
Networking Standard
Joseph D. Camp and Edward W. Knightly
types (802.11a, b, and g) and service differentiation (802.11e).
Further, the security amendments to the standard (802.11i)
and multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) communication by Task
Group n (TGn) can signficantly enhance mesh operation. In
IETF, the Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) work group has
standardized many multihop routing protocols such as Ad Hoc
On-demand Distant Vector Routing (AODV), Dynamic Source
Routing (DSR), and Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR).
Now, the increasing demand for mesh networks necessitates a
new standard by which networking manufacturers can extend
the interoperability of hardware and software for multi-vendor
mesh network deployments. In 2004, a task group (TGs)
was formed to define the Extended Service Set (ESS) Mesh
Networking Standard. To date, the standard draft amendment
(802.11s) exists as a single proposal comprised of select
proposal characteristics from various organizations [3]. IETF
has no such group for mesh networking.