VariBan: A Variable Bandwidth Channel Allocation Algorithm for IEEE 802.15.4E-Based Networks

Among several link-layer protocols, Time-Slotted Channel Hopping (TSCH), defined in the IEEE 802.15.4e standard, offer a good performance improving reliability and throughput for wireless sensor network using in the best way two parameters: time and frequency. Many works in the current literature present scheduling schemes for the protocol. In this scenario, our work is among a small group that aims to explore the improvements of the protocol by exploiting different techniques over the transport layer of the network protocol. Channels with wider bandwidth can improve network performance by increasing the throughput and improving packet delivery. Therefore, this paper proposes a scheduling algorithm to dynamically allocate channels with variable bandwidth to improve the overall throughput and packet delivery. The scheduling and channel allocation happen using the conflict mapping method to identify links in congestion and schedule them. This work proposes a procedure for allocating channels with bandwidth proportional to the demand for packets per link. We implemented the algorithm in the Contiki-NG platform and evaluated the result through simulations. Results show improved time slot allocation, packet delivery ratio, and throughput. Our experiments show that VariBan achieves a throughput of over 99% and improves Packet Delivery Ratio by over 50% in all three scenarios compared to the state-of-the-art algorithm.