IEEE Wireless LAN capacity in multicell environments with rate adaptation

Since the advent of the first IEEE 802.11 standard, many research efforts have been spent on evaluating different aspects of the specification. In this paper, we present a new method to predict the capacity of a multicell IEEE 802.11 network. The mechanism takes the effect of co-channel and adjacent channel interference into account. In addition, the study of a common rate adaptation algorithm is included. When the effect of rate adaptation is considered within the throughput computation, the results provided by our algorithm are closer to the measurements obtained in a real scenario. To the best of our knowledge, this paper presents the first analytical study of throughput performance including both types of interferences and the effect of bit rate adaptatio

Enhanced Collision Resolution for the IEEE 802.11 Distributed Coordination Function

The IEEE 802.11 standard relies on the Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) as the fundamental medium access control method. DCF uses the Binary Exponential Backoff (BEB) algorithm to regulate channel access. The backoff period determined by BEB depends on a contention window (CW) whose size is doubled if a station suffers a collision and reset to its minimum value after a successful transmission. BEB doubles the CW size upon collision to reduce the collision probability in retransmission. However, this CW increase reduces channel access time because stations will spend more time sensing the channel rather than accessing it. Although resetting the CW to its minimum value increases channel access, it negatively affects fairness because it favours successfully transmitting stations over stations suffering from collisions. Moreover, resetting CW leads to increasing the collision probability and therefore increases the number of collisions. % Quality control editor: Please ensure that the intended meaning has been maintained in the edits of the previous sentence. Since increasing channel access time and reducing the probability of collisions are important factors to improve the DCF performance, and they conflict with each other, improving one will have an adverse effect on the other and consequently will harm the DCF performance. We propose an algorithm, \gls{ECRA}, that solves collisions once they occur without instantly increasing the CW size. Our algorithm reduces the collision probability without affecting channel access time. We also propose an accurate analytical model that allows comparing the theoretical saturation and maximum throughputs of our algorithm with those of benchmark algorithms. Our model uses a collision probability that is dependent on the station transmission history and thus provides a precise estimation of the probability that a station transmits in a random timeslot, which results in a more accurate throughput analysis. We present extensive simulations for fixed and mobile scenarios. The results show that on average, our algorithm outperformed BEB in terms of throughput and fairness. Compared to other benchmark algorithms, our algorithm improved, on average, throughput and delay performance

Cross-layer design and optimization of medium access control protocols for wlans

This thesis provides a contribution to the field of Medium Access Control (MAC) layer protocol design for wireless networks by proposing and evaluating mechanisms that enhance different aspects of the network performance. These enhancements are achieved through the exchange of information between different layers of the traditional protocol stack, a concept known as Cross-Layer (CL) design. The main thesis contributions are divided into two parts. The first part of the thesis introduces a novel MAC layer protocol named Distributed Queuing Collision Avoidance (DQCA). DQCA behaves as a reservation scheme that ensures collision-free data transmissions at the majority of the time and switches automatically to an Aloha-like random access mechanism when the traffic load is low. DQCA can be enriched by more advanced scheduling algorithms based on a CL dialogue between the MAC and other protocol layers, to provide higher throughput and Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees. The second part of the thesis explores a different challenge in MAC layer design, related to the ability of multiple antenna systems to offer point-to-multipoint communications. Some modifications to the recently approved IEEE 802.11n standard are proposed in order to handle simultaneous multiuser downlink transmissions. A number of multiuser MAC schemes that handle channel access and scheduling issues and provide mechanisms for feedback acquisition have been presented and evaluated. The obtained performance enhancements have been demonstrated with the help of both theoretical analysis and simulation obtained results

A distributed wireless MAC scheme for service differentiation in WLANs.

Mobile communications is evolving due to the recent technological achievements in wireless networking. Today, wireless networks exist in many forms, providing different types of services in a range of local, wide area and global coverage. The most widely used WLAN standard today is IEEE 802.11. However, it still has problems with providing the QoS required for multimedia services using distributed methods. In this thesis, a new distributed MAC scheme is proposed to support QoS in wireless LANs. In the scheme, stations use CSMA for channel access, with collisions between stations being resolved by sending a set of beacons in a predefined manner, and virtual collisions being resolved by schedulers at the stations. The proposed MAC scheme is analyzed mathematically, for two-priority case, and the results obtained are validated by simulation. The mathematical model estimates the average delay experienced by data packets of priority one and two under different conditions. A performance evaluation study of the proposed MAC scheme as well as the IEEE 802.11 DCF, and IEEE 802.11e EDCF MAC schemes is also done by means of stochastic simulation. It is found that the results obtained by simulation are in very good agreement with the analytical results, thereby validating them. Moreover, the simulation study evaluated different performance measures of these MAC schemes. The results showed that the IEEE 802.11 DCF scheme does not support QoS, but the proposed MAC scheme and the upcoming IEEE 802.11 EDCF both do. In general, the results show that the proposed MAC scheme performs equally or better than the current IEEE 802.11 DCF scheme in every case considered. It is also found that the proposed MAC scheme performs equally well as the upcoming IEEE 802.11e EDCF scheme, in every case considered in this thesis

Performance evaluation of WLAN for mutual interaction between unicast and multicast communication sessions

In this Thesis, performance evaluation of wireless local area networks (WLANs) is conducted to understand the effects of mutual interaction between real-time unicast and multicast communication sessions. The analysis extends the performance evaluation of WLAN from the isolated study of unicast or multicast sessions to their mutual interaction. The nature of multicast session is VoIP, whereas the unicast sessions are VoIP and a single video flow. The performance of unicast and multicast sessions is investigated by simulations for experienced quality of service. The reliability concerns of simulator performance are addressed by verifying the simulator against an experimental setup. It takes into account the Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical (PHY) layer parameters and the probability of collision for increasing number of sessions. The analysis environment is a single WLAN cell where the sessions are mobile. The mobility of the sessions is mapped with a proposed group mobility model whose statistical properties are studied via simulations. The performance results obtained with the sessions' mobility are compared with those of static sessions and sessions moving according to the Random Waypoint (RWP) mobility model

Millimeter-wave Wireless LAN and its Extension toward 5G Heterogeneous Networks

Millimeter-wave (mmw) frequency bands, especially 60 GHz unlicensed band, are considered as a promising solution for gigabit short range wireless communication systems. IEEE standard 802.11ad, also known as WiGig, is standardized for the usage of the 60 GHz unlicensed band for wireless local area networks (WLANs). By using this mmw WLAN, multi-Gbps rate can be achieved to support bandwidth-intensive multimedia applications. Exhaustive search along with beamforming (BF) is usually used to overcome 60 GHz channel propagation loss and accomplish data transmissions in such mmw WLANs. Because of its short range transmission with a high susceptibility to path blocking, multiple number of mmw access points (APs) should be used to fully cover a typical target environment for future high capacity multi-Gbps WLANs. Therefore, coordination among mmw APs is highly needed to overcome packet collisions resulting from un-coordinated exhaustive search BF and to increase the total capacity of mmw WLANs. In this paper, we firstly give the current status of mmw WLANs with our developed WiGig AP prototype. Then, we highlight the great need for coordinated transmissions among mmw APs as a key enabler for future high capacity mmw WLANs. Two different types of coordinated mmw WLAN architecture are introduced. One is the distributed antenna type architecture to realize centralized coordination, while the other is an autonomous coordination with the assistance of legacy Wi-Fi signaling. Moreover, two heterogeneous network (HetNet) architectures are also introduced to efficiently extend the coordinated mmw WLANs to be used for future 5th Generation (5G) cellular networks.Comment: 18 pages, 24 figures, accepted, invited paper

IEEE 802.11n WLAN에서 프레임 전송 시간 조절을 통한 네트워크 성능 향상 MAC 프로토콜

학위논문 (박사)-- 서울대학교 대학원 : 전기·컴퓨터공학부, 2013. 8. 최종호.최근 스마트폰, 태블릿 PC 등의 무선 네트워크를 사용하는 모바일 기기의 사용이 급증함에 따라 무선 랜 (wireless local area network (WLAN))에 대한 수요가 빠르게 증가하고 있다. 하지만, IEEE 802.11 표준에서 기본적으로 사용하는 MAC (medium access control) 프로토콜인 DCF (distributed coordination function) 는 single-cell 네트워크에서 MAC 효율 (MAC efficiency) 성능이 떨어지는 문제점과 ad-hoc 네트워크에서 노드간에 공평성 성능이 크게 저하 되는 문제점을 지니고 있다. 본 논문에서는 이러한 네트워크에서 DCF가 지니고 있는 문제점을 각각 해결할 수 있는 두 가지 다른 방식의 MAC 프로토콜들을 제안하였다. 기존의 MAC 프로토콜에서는 패킷 (packet) 이나 프레임 (frame) 의 크기가 정해지면, 각 노드 (node) 의 데이터 전송 속도에 따라 (data transmission rate) 프레임 전송 시간 (frame transmission duration) 이 정해졌다. 하지만, 본 논문에서는 IEEE 802.11n/ac/ad 표준에서 사용하는 프레임 결합 (frame aggregation) 과 block ACK 기법을 이용하여 프레임 전송 시간을 정확히 조절 할 수 있는 방법을 제안하였다. 만약 이와같이 프레임 전송 시간을 우리가 원하는 데로 정확하게 조절 할 수 있게된다면, 네트워크 상에 각 노드들은 추가적인 오버헤드 (overhead) 없이 자신이 알려주고자 하는 정보를 프레임 전송 시간을 이용하여 자신 주변의 노드들에게 간접적으로 알려줄 수 있게 된다. 즉, 프레임 전송 시간을 정확히 조절하는 것을 통해서 기존의 컨트롤 메시지 (control message) 가 수행했던 역할인 정보 전달의 역할을 수행 할 수 있게 된다. 이 아이디어는 간단하지만, 각 노드들이 네트워크 성능을 향상 시킬 수 있는 정보를 교환하는데 효과적이다. 본 논문에서 제안된 두 개의 MAC 프로토콜들은 이 아이디어를 활용하여 네트워크 성능을 향상시키고자 하였다. 우선, IEEE 802.11 single-cell 네트워크에서의 MAC 효율 성능을 향상시키기 위해 Transmission Order Deducing MAC (TOD-MAC) 프로토콜을 제안하였다. 최근 물리 계층 (physical layer) 에서의 전송 속도가 Gbps 범위까지 비약적으로 발전하고 있다. 하지만, 이러한 물리 계층 전송 속도의 증가가 MAC 계층 (MAC layer) 에서의 처리량 (throughput) 성능 향상에 효과적으로 기여하지 못하고 있는 실정이다. 왜냐하면, 물리 계층에서의 전송 속도가 올라 갈수록 PHY header와 컨텐션 시간 (contention time) 등의 MAC 계층에서 발생하는 오버헤드들이 처리량 성능 향상에 큰 걸림돌이 되기 때문이다. 이러한 문제점을 해결 하기 위해서 TOD-MAC에서 각 노드들은 자신의 전송 순서에 따라 앞서 제안된 방법을 이용하여 프레임 전송 시간을 정확히 조절하여 데이터를 전송한다. 이를 통해 네트워크 상의 각 노드들은 자신 주변 노드들의 전송 순서를 프레임 전송 시간을 통해 추정할 수 있게 되고, 자신에게 알려진 전송 순서 정보를 이용하여 순환 순서 방식 (round robin manner) 으로 데이터를 전송한다. 이를 통해 제안된 MAC 프로토콜은 전송 충돌 (transmission collision) 과 컨텐션 시간을 효율적으로 줄일 수 있게 되고, CSMA/CA (carrier sensing multiple access with collision avoidance) 기반의 single-cell 네트워크에서의 MAC 효율을 극대화 시킬 수 있게 된다. 또한, 실험을 통해 TOD-MAC이 다양한 환경에서 높은 처리량 성능과, 좋은 short/long-term 채널 점유 시간 공평성 (air-time fairness) 성능을 보여주는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 또한, 본 논문에서는 IEEE 802.11 ad-hoc 네트워크에서의 최대-최소 채널 점유 시간 공평성 (max-min air-time fairness) 을 향상 시킬 수 있는 Max-min Air-time Fairness MAC (MAF-MAC) 프로토콜을 제안하였다. 최근 IEEE 802.11 ad-hoc 네트워크를 기반으로한 서비스에 대한 요구가 빠르게 증하하면서, ad-hoc 네트워크에서 노드들 간에 공평한 서비스를 제공하는 것이 중요한 문제가 되고 있다. 이를 위해 MAF-MAC에서는 각 노드들이 자신의 채널 점유 시간에 대한 정보를 프레임 전송 시간을 통해 주변 노드들에게 알려주고, 각 노드들은 이 정보를 이용하여 자신의 contention window (CW) 값을 적절하게 조절하여 ad-hoc 네트워크에서의 최대-최소 채널 점유 시간 공평성 성능을 향상시키고자 하였다. 이를 통해 제안된 MAC 프로토콜은 네트워크에 있는 노드들에게 보다 공평한 서비스를 제공함과 동시에 채널 점유율과 사용율을 효율적으로 향상 시킬 수 있었다. 또한, 다른 연구에서 제안된 히든 노드 감지 (hidden node detection) 방법과 히든 노드 해결 (hidden node resolving) 방법을 MAF-MAC에 적용함으로써 ad-hoc 네트워크에서 발생 할 수 있는 히든 노드 문제를 효과적으로 해결 할 수 있었다. 시뮬래이션을 통해 히든 노드의 존재 여부와 관계 없이 다양한 환경에서 MAF-MAC에 기반한 방법이 좋은 채널 점유 공평성 성능을 보여줌과 동시에 효율적으로 채널을 사용하고 있다는 것을 확인 할 수 있었다.The demand for wireless local area network (WLAN) has drastically increased due to the prevalence of the mobile devices such as smart phones and tablet PCs. However, the distributed coordination function (DCF), which is the basic MAC protocol used in IEEE 802.11 WLANs, needs to be improved on MAC efficiency in single-cell networks and fairness performance in ad-hoc networks. In this dissertation, we propose two MAC protocols that can enhance MAC efficiency in single-cell network, and max-min air-time fairness in ad-hoc network by adjusting frame transmission duration, respectively. In the traditional MAC protocol, the length of a packet or a frame is usually fixed and the transmission duration is determined by the data rate. However, we show how each node can precisely adjust the transmission duration when the frame aggregation and block ACK features are used in very high-speed IEEE 802.11n/ac/ad WLANs. If the transmission duration can be precisely controlled, it plays the role usually carried out by a control message. Therefore, a node can indirectly announce necessary information to the other nodes, which can sense the transmission of the node, without incurring any overhead. This idea is simple, but very effective to enhance the network performance by exchanging the necessary information without overheads. First, we propose the Transmission Order Deducing MAC (TOD-MAC) protocol to improve MAC layer efficiency in IEEE 802.11 single-cell network. Recently, the physical (PHY) layer transmission rate increases to Gbps range in the IEEE 802.11 WLANs. However, the increase in the PHY layer transmission rates does not necessarily translate into corresponding increase in the MAC layer throughput of IEEE 802.11 WLANs because of MAC overheads such as PHY headers and contention time. TOD-MAC precisely controls the frame length and transmission duration to indirectly provide necessary information to a node to determine the transmission order among all the nodes in a network. Each node transmits frames of different duration, and thus the other nodes can determine the time when they can transmit, which has the same effect as announcing the transmission order, without using a control message. Each node transmits a frame in a round robin manner, which minimizes the idle time between two consecutive transmissions without collisions, and significantly enhances the MAC efficiency in very high speed CSMA/CA wireless networks. The results of extensive simulations indicate that TOD-MAC achieves high throughput performance, short/long-term air-time fairness in multi-rate networks and excellent transient behavior in dynamic environments. Secondly, we propose Max-min Air-time Fairness MAC (MAF-MAC) to improve max-min air-time fairness in IEEE 802.11 ad-hoc networks. As the demand for services based on ad-hoc networks rapidly increases, enhancing fairness among nodes becomes important issue in ad-hoc networks. The concept of max-min fairness is that a node may use more channel resource as long as it does take away the channel resource from the other nodes who uses less channel resource. In MAF-MAC, the transmission duration is adjusted so that it can indirectly perform the function of a control message in announcing the state of a node, called the busy time ratio. On the basis of this information, each node adjusts its $CW$ value to improve max-min air-time fairness. Moreover, we also adopt the hidden node detection and resolving mechanism to MAF-MAC to improve the max-min air-time fairness even when there are hidden nodes in ad-hoc networks. We show through simulation that MAF-MAC incorporating hidden node detection/resolution mechanisms can provide good air-time fairness with high channel occupation and utilization ratio whether or not there are hidden nodes in the network.Docto

Improving the Performance of Wireless LANs

This book quantifies the key factors of WLAN performance and describes methods for improvement. It provides theoretical background and empirical results for the optimum planning and deployment of indoor WLAN systems, explaining the fundamentals while supplying guidelines for design, modeling, and performance evaluation. It discusses environmental effects on WLAN systems, protocol redesign for routing and MAC, and traffic distribution; examines emerging and future network technologies; and includes radio propagation and site measurements, simulations for various network design scenarios, numerous illustrations, practical examples, and learning aids