A Multi-Tenant SDN Architecture for Network Deployment Using a Wi-Fi HaLow-Based IEEE 802.11s Mesh

This paper presents a new application of the IEEE 802.11ah standard, commonly called Wi-Fi HaLow, for the configuration of networks through Software-Defined Networking (SDN). The proposed architecture aims to leverage the flexibility of SDN to configure and monitor network equipment in a dedicated autonomous Wi-Fi HaLow network using an IEEE 802.11s mesh topology. In this way, this technology and topology increase the control range of the network, thus providing better redundancy of the network while being able to provide enough speed for several current use cases, including real-time IoT solutions where the data volume is higher. The system uses a multi-tenant architecture with Wi-Fi HaLow devices and permits the dynamic configuration of several production networks through a single separated configuration network. The prototype of the proposed architecture and mesh connection tests were implemented using devices with the Newracom 7292 chipset. The prototype was employed for functional tests, while mesh connection tests were conducted to evaluate range and bitrate. The results show that the network is capable of efficiently handling low-to-moderate data traffic at a distance as large as 1.1 km in an indoor environment, showing great flexibility and long-range connectivity through mesh networking.