Wireless Netwrok Protocol Engineer

About the Role We are building a next-generation SDR-based wireless mesh network for real-time voice, video, and data in challenging environments. Our stack includes a custom PHY , frequency hopping , and multi-hop MANET routing .

We’re looking for a Wireless Network Protocol Engineer who can bridge the gap between radio hardware (SDR) and Linux networking , designing robust MAC / link-layer protocols and integrating them with mesh routing (e.g., batman-adv) .

If you enjoy making packets survive over noisy RF links, tuning protocols at MAC level, and working close to the metal, this role is for you.

Key Responsibilities Design & implement the radio MAC / link layer on top of our existing PHY :

Frame structure, sequence numbers, ARQ / retransmissions

Fragmentation / reassembly for larger packets

Basic QoS for voice, video, and file / data traffic

Integrate the radio with Linux networking :

Expose the radio as a Linux network interface (netdev) (e.g., sdr0)

Make it work seamlessly with batman-adv or similar mesh / MANET protocols

Support standard IP networking over the mesh

Work with frequency hopping and scheduling :

Implement time-slot based transmission and frequency hopping patterns

Design a link-layer scheduler that respects QoS and slot timing

Performance & reliability :

Measure and optimise throughput, latency, and packet loss over multi-hop links

Tune parameters (MTU, retries, timers, CW, etc.) based on real-world tests

Collaboration :

Work closely with the hardware / SDR / FPGA team on timing, RF tuning, and integration

Coordinate with application / AI / backend teams to understand traffic patterns and QoS needs

Documentation & testing :

Write clear documentation for protocols, APIs, and configuration

Develop test plans, simulation setups, and on-device tests for various topologies

Must-Have Qualifications Strong proficiency in C for systems / embedded programming

Solid understanding of computer networking fundamentals :

Ethernet, ARP, IP, UDP / TCP

L2 vs L3, routing vs bridging, MTU, fragmentation

Hands-on experience with wireless protocols at MAC / driver level , for example :

Wi-Fi (802.11), 802.11s mesh, Wi-SUN, LoRa / LoRaWAN, 6LoWPAN, ZigBee, or similar

Experience with Linux networking :

Working with network interfaces, routing, bridging

Using tools like ip, tcpdump, wireshark, tc, etc.

Exposure to at least one of :

Mesh / ad hoc networking (batman-adv, OLSR, Babel, 802.11s, OpenWrt)

Software Defined Radio (SDR) (USRP, GNU Radio, LimeSDR, etc.)

Nice-to-Have Skills Experience writing or modifying Linux network drivers (netdev) :

Familiarity with ndo_start_xmit, netif_rx, SKBs, and kernel networking APIs

Knowledge of OFDM / COFDM , SNR, link budgets, and RF basics

Experience with frequency hopping and time-synchronised TDMA or similar schemes

Familiarity with OpenWrt or embedded Linux systems

Experience with network security / crypto , such as :

WireGuard, IPsec, TLS, or custom link-layer encryption

Prior work on MANET research (ns-3 simulations, academic projects, theses, etc.)

What We’re Looking For (Mindset) You like working close to the hardware , not just at the application layer

You’re comfortable debugging with tcpdump, Wireshark, logic analyzers, and RF tools

You enjoy reading specs, protocol RFCs, and digging into kernel code when needed

You can take a high-level “we need voice + video over a mesh in bad RF conditions” requirement and turn it into a concrete protocol and implementation plan