RoRoute: Tools to experiment with routing protocols in WMNs

Routing in wireless mesh networks is a well studied topic, but indeed, a deeper analysis in real world deployments shows that there are still many open issues, the real world is complex enough so that theoretic design, simulations and emulators can hardly encode it. This paper presents a set of tools and best practices we developed thanks to the WiSHFUL 1 experimental platform that enables the analysis of routing protocols robustness and resilience in face of failures and other impairments when the protocols run in real networks with all the complexity and non-linear interactions that characterize wireless meshes. We present results obtained with Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR) and possible extensions to this protocol that clearly document phenomena that are not visible or implementable in either simulation or emulation environments.