A dual-band architecture for multi-gbps communication in 60 GHz multi-hop networks

By utilizing abundant spectrum available at 60 GHz, millimeter wavelength (mmWave) radios can enable multi-gigabit per second (Gbps) link rates, but only over short distances. The limited range of mmWave radios can be extended to provide high throughput coverage to an entire home or office network using multi-hop communication. In this paper, we present a dual-band architecture that leverages the significant range advantage of low-cost commodity WiFi radios to control and coordinate scheduling/routing on a 60 GHz multi-hop network. The high pathloss and directionality of mmWave radio create significant opportunities for spatial reuse in these mmWave networks. By realizing these spatial reuse gains through effective scheduling/routing, this dual-band architecture can enable multi-Gbps end-to-end throughput in 60 GHz multi-hop networks.