WiFi solution by INESC TEC tested in European project
The WiFIX, a wireless mesh network solution developed by researchers at INESC TEC’s Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit (UTM), will be implemented and tested as part of the European project CONFINE (Community Networks Testbed for the Future Internet). The aim with this project is to create a large-scale testbed called Community-Lab to support experimental research on wireless networks.
The CONFINE is a European project of the 7th Framework-Programme which started in October 2011. In order to promote the use of the Community-Lab and increase its projection, in October 2012 the CONFINE launched an Open Call for experimental work applications based on the Community-Lab called “CONFINE actions”, and the most successful proposals would then be integrated in the consortium. UTM presented a proposal which was approved in December and will be in operation for a year (between February 2013 and January 2014).
The aim with the CONFINE action proposed by INESC TEC is to assess the WiFIX solution, developed as part of PhD theses and R&D projects on wireless networks at UTM. The Community-Lab will be used to validate and complement the results achieved thus far using only small-scale simulations and/or testbeds. The Community-Lab integrates and extends three existing community networks: Guifi.net (Spain), FunkFeuer (Austria) and AWMN (Greece).
This action will contribute to disseminating the WiFIX solution within project CONFINE and with the scientific community, as well as the Community-Lab, allowing it to become a platform of reference for testing wireless networks in a real environment. At the same time, the aim is to improve the industrial partners’ confidence in the WiFIX solution. Lastly, this work will lead to an increase in scientific production at UTM in the form of scientific papers and important conferences, and to identify new scientific problems and challenges based on the experimental results obtained.
The UTM team working on this project is set up by Rui Campos (action coordinator), José Ruela (former manager at UTM), Manuel Ricardo (manager at UTM), Tânia Calçada, Jaime Dias, Filipe Teixeira and Filipe Ribeiro.