The DEUS project aims to tackle the challenges of deploying and maintaining wireless enterprise networks through three objectives: easy deployment using automatic configuration, ease of use with an intelligent wireless mesh backbone that adapts to conditions, and easy management with monitoring and configuration tools. The resulting DEUS network uses a two-tier architecture of wireless mesh routers forming a backbone connected to various client networks. New nodes are securely added to the network through a four-step process managed by a coordinator node. The intelligent mesh backbone automatically organizes the network and supports roaming and interconnectivity between different networks. Administrators can monitor the network and devices using easy management tools that consume minimal bandwidth.

1. DEUS
Deployment and Ease Use of wireless Services
Wireless Mesh Networking
Main challenges
Wireless network are omnipresent in modern society, providing ubiquitous computing for
everyone. Enterprises and communities wishing to provide these services typically lack
the necessary expertise to deploy such networks. As a consequence, they are confronted
with two main challenges. The first challenge is to deploy a wireless enterprise grade
network. The second challenge is to maintain the network after deployment in order to
cope with changing demands and requirements.
DEUS approach
The IBBT DEUS Project tackles these two key challenges by creating an intelligent
wireless network, centred on three mission objectives:
• Easy deployment: the easy deployment mechanisms allow the network to
work “out of the box”,
• Ease of use: the DEUS algorithms will automatically organize the wireless
mesh network to adapt to varying conditions and environments,
• Easy management: the easy management tool suite enables the site
administrator to inspect the network state and manage the configuration of
the networking equipment.
DEUS solutions
The resulting DEUS wireless mesh network is a two-tier architecture, consisting of a
wireless mesh backbone and multiple client networks. The wireless mesh backbone
consists of multiple mesh routers, each equipped with IEEE802.11a/b/g/n compatible
interfaces, and serves as a “high-speed” transport network for the attached client
networks. These client networks connect to a mesh router, which serves as their
gateway. The client networks vary from sensor networks, over wired local area networks,
to IEEE802.11 infrastructure networks.

2. DEUS
Deployment and Ease Use of wireless Services
Figure 1 - DEUS network architecture
DEUS easy deployment
The DEUS easy deployment mechanism is responsible for the introduction, configuration
and acceptance of new mesh nodes into an existing DEUS network. To perform this
configuration procedure a special DEUS node is required in the network: the coordinator.
The purpose of the coordinator is to provide a centralized point for secure one-time
registration and acceptance.
The deployment procedure of a new node consists of four steps, shown in Figure 2:
• In the first step the network administrator unwraps the new mesh node from its
box, places the new device and powers it on. The new device will discover all
DEUS wireless mesh networks in range and try to connect with these networks.
The new mesh node sends out a request for acceptance.
• An already configured mesh node relays this acceptance request to the
coordinator node.
• The network administrator connects the “DEUS easy deployment tool” (Figure 3)
to the coordinator node to accept the new node. He inputs the PIN code of the
new device in the user interface for verification.
• In the last step, the coordinator node sends the PIN code for verification by the
new node, after which the coordinator uploads the configuration data over a
secure channel via the relay node to the new device.

3. DEUS
Deployment and Ease Use of wireless Services
Figure 2 - Easy deployment
Figure 3 - DEUS easy deployment tool GUI
Every node needs to execute the acceptance procedure only once, as the node stores the
received configuration details locally. If a node fails and needs to be rebooted, it reuses
the stored configuration data. The coordinator thus needs to be present only when new
nodes are added to the network. If it fails or becomes unreachable, the mesh backbone
remains operational.
DEUS ease of use: an intelligent backbone
As soon as the Easy Deployment mechanism has installed a suitable mesh configuration
on the new mesh node, the new mesh node is ready to participate in the wireless mesh
network. The mesh router activates the mesh networking system, which is responsible
for organizing the wireless network in an efficient and robust manner. The mesh
networking protocol discovers and maintains optimal data paths within the wireless mesh
network. The wireless mesh network is quality of service aware, prioritizing voice and
other real time traffic.

4. DEUS
Deployment and Ease Use of wireless Services
The DEUS wireless mesh backbone automatically discovers external client networks such
as 802.11 infrastructure networks. The mesh backbone interconnects these remote
networks, enabling traffic between these networks to be transported over the wireless
mesh (Figure 4).
Figure 4 - Mesh backbone
In addition, the mesh backbone provides handover support for mobile clients. Clients
connected to DEUS access point, i.e. a DEUS mesh node plus access point combination,
can benefit from the transparent handover support provided by the mesh backbone. If a
client travels from one access point to another, the mesh backbone automatically
transports all inbound traffic to the new location of the client, thus supporting seamless
communication. Figure 5 shows a mobile client moving from the left access point to the
right access point. The existing data stream (1) is automatically forwarded to the new
location (2).
Figure 5 - Mesh roaming support

5. DEUS
Deployment and Ease Use of wireless Services
Easy management tools
The DEUS project provides an easy management suite, which enables the site
administrator to inspect the network state and manage the configuration of the
networking equipment.
The OneAccess Management suite consists of the Total Maintenance Application, the
Element Manager and the Element Viewer. These tools use an efficient custom protocol
to communicate with the devices, consuming very limited bandwidth, yet providing real
time information.
• The Total Maintenance Application (TMA) (Figure 6) connects to a single device
at a time and supports the configuration of devices and the display of status
and performance attributes.
• The Element Manager is a central server application, which permanently
checks the connectivity of the devices in the network and keeps a full history
of the alarms reported. The Element Manager also contains an Auto Discovery
feature to discover new devices.
• The Element Viewer ( Figure 7) gives a graphical overview of the
network status, using colour codes for the different alarms levels. It
synchronizes with the Element Manager and shows a detailed view of the
active alarms as well as the history of the alarms reported.
Figure 6 - Total Maintenance Application GUI Figure 7 - Element Viewer GUI
DEUS Proof of Concept implementation
The IBBT DEUS project provides innovative solutions that allow easy deployment, easy
use and easy management of wireless networks. This concept will be used as the
Backbone for the Deus use cases.

6. DEUS
Deployment and Ease Use of wireless Services
Project partners
In cooperation with
IBBT research groups
UGent - IBCN http://www.ibcn.intec.ugent.be
UGent - WiCa http://www.wica.intec.ugent.be
UA - PATS http.www.pats.ua.ac.be
KU Leuven – DistriNet http.www.distrinet.cs.kuleuven.be
KU Leuven – CUO http://www.soc.kuleuven.be/com/mediac/cuo
UHasselt – EDM http://www.edm.uhasselt.be/