158 Software Networks
(Home Nodes-B), located in domestic environments. It would also be
possible to add metrocells, which are similar to femtocells but situated
in public spaces – e.g. a street – instead of in private areas. The
connection choices are made by the Passpoint technology, which is
based on a Cloudlet situated near to the access points. The power of
the Cloudlets becomes essential in this scenario, because the number
of actions increases with the possibility of handovers between two of
the access points, establishing multi-paths if a user’s data stream can
be channeled through several access points simultaneously, and
finally, managing multiple technologies by replacing certain Wi-Fi
access points with connections such as Bluetooth, ZigBee or any other
solutions available on the market.
6.12. Backhaul networks
Backhaul networks form the intermediary networks between the
access networks to which the clients are connected and the core
network. Such backhaul networks are becoming increasingly
important, because small-cell technology requires a very large number
of connections with all access points, instead of concentrating the
connections on a small number of large antennas. It can be said that,
up until now, backhaul networks have essentially consisted of links
between DSLAMs and the core network, or between Nodes-B and the
core network. Most typically, these networks use Gigabit Ethernet or
MPLS technology.
The solution developing with small cells pertains to mesh
networks, or networks of access points, in which the boxes are directly
interconnected. For this purpose, mesh access points have two Wi-Fi
ports: one to communicate with the neighboring access points, and the
other to connect the clients. A client wishing to connect plugs into one
access point, which transmits the packets to the neighboring access
point, which in turn transmits them to its neighbor, and so on until
they reach the core network, using an optical fiber or an xDSL
modem. Typically, the access points are connected to one another by
Wi-Fi, but other solutions are developing, with longer ranges, as we
shall see.
www.it-ebooks.info
(Home Nodes-B), located in domestic environments. It would also be
possible to add metrocells, which are similar to femtocells but situated
in public spaces – e.g. a street – instead of in private areas. The
connection choices are made by the Passpoint technology, which is
based on a Cloudlet situated near to the access points. The power of
the Cloudlets becomes essential in this scenario, because the number
of actions increases with the possibility of handovers between two of
the access points, establishing multi-paths if a user’s data stream can
be channeled through several access points simultaneously, and
finally, managing multiple technologies by replacing certain Wi-Fi
access points with connections such as Bluetooth, ZigBee or any other
solutions available on the market.
6.12. Backhaul networks
Backhaul networks form the intermediary networks between the
access networks to which the clients are connected and the core
network. Such backhaul networks are becoming increasingly
important, because small-cell technology requires a very large number
of connections with all access points, instead of concentrating the
connections on a small number of large antennas. It can be said that,
up until now, backhaul networks have essentially consisted of links
between DSLAMs and the core network, or between Nodes-B and the
core network. Most typically, these networks use Gigabit Ethernet or
MPLS technology.
The solution developing with small cells pertains to mesh
networks, or networks of access points, in which the boxes are directly
interconnected. For this purpose, mesh access points have two Wi-Fi
ports: one to communicate with the neighboring access points, and the
other to connect the clients. A client wishing to connect plugs into one
access point, which transmits the packets to the neighboring access
point, which in turn transmits them to its neighbor, and so on until
they reach the core network, using an optical fiber or an xDSL
modem. Typically, the access points are connected to one another by
Wi-Fi, but other solutions are developing, with longer ranges, as we
shall see.
www.it-ebooks.info