Developing an SDWN Architecture for Wireless Network Engineering to Support a Quality of Experience Aware Handover

The massive growth of data consumption and the variety of wireless technology emergence has made the handover (HO) an attractive research topic nowadays, mainly due to the popularity of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), which allow users to reach high-speed data communication while they are in movement. Moreover, mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones have also become increasingly popular due to their low cost and ease of use, and an increase in mobile device use is expected to accelerate in the coming years, along with the availability and use of applications such as real-time services and online gaming. The traditional HO methods will likely not meet the requirements of mobile devices for modern applications due to the lack of intelligence, lack of awareness Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) requirements of mobile users. We, therefore, introduce a novel architecture that supports horizontal HO in homogenous networks. This architecture is based on the Software-Defined Wireless Networking (SDWN) concept, where the wireless network is controlled centrally and the wireless Access Points (APs) are programmable. In this architecture, HO algorithms will assist wireless users to find the network that could best support the application requirements through Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) management policies. The first HO algorithm proposed in this thesis is called Quality of Experience Oriented Handover Algorithm. This algorithm will guarantee the best possible connectivity to the users in terms of their QoE and QoS requirements and outperforms the traditional methods in a sparse network environment. The second contribution is called Optimised Handover Algorithm for Dense WLAN Environments. This algorithm has been designed to address dense network environments via taking into consideration the Adaptive Hysteresis Value (AHV). The AHV will help the Optimised Handover Algorithm via reducing the so-called ping-pong effect. This contribution shows promising performance results by selecting the best candidate AP, decreasing the number of redundant HO and avoiding the ping-pong effect. The final contribution is called Priority Based Handover Algorithm. We extended our proposed SDWN architecture in order to include the concept of prioritising users and make a smart decision during the process of HO. This algorithm will prioritise a certain class of users to avoid the effect of the over-congestion. The results show that the approach based on priority outperforms the state of the art and provides better QoE to the high priority users despite the over-congestion situation

Radio-propagation measurements and modeling in indoor stairwells at millimeter-wave bands

A good understanding of signal wave attenuation along a stairwell is necessary for successful wireless network planning. In this study, the propagation characteristics in indoor multi-floor stairwell environments are examined under the millimeter frequency band. An extensive signal measurement is conducted in two stairwells. These measurements provide information important for ensuring consistent radio transmission of data in such environment, which then enables immediate response during emergency operations. In these measurements, directional horn antennas for co-polarization and cross-polarization in transmitters and receivers are used for different millimeter frequencies (26, 28, 32, and 38 GHz). The feasibility of using the millimeter wave, which is suitable for indoor 5G wireless networks, in two different indoor stairwell environments is investigated. Four different models are employed for path loss investigation. Under single frequencies, the close-in free-space reference distance and floating-intercept path loss models are adopted. For multiple frequencies, the close-in free space reference distance with frequency dependent path loss exponent and alpha-beta-gamma models are applied. The measurements provide data on the received power at multi-floor stairwells through the stair steps, which are useful for path loss study. Accordingly, the path loss exponent values, standard deviations, and other parameters are obtained

A new model to enhance the QoS of spectral amplitude coding-optical code division multiple access system with OFDM technique

A new optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing technique with spectrum amplitude coding optical code division access (SAC-OCDMA) system is developed to enhance the channel data rate, reduce power, and increase the number of SAC-OCDMA system users. The average received signal-to-noise ratio with inter-modulation distortion of subcarriers is derived. Theoretical results are evaluated based on bit error rate, number of users, data rate, and amount of power saved. The proposed system is then compared with the traditional hybrid sub-carrier multiplexing (SCM)/SAC OCDM. The results show that the proposed system reduces approximately −8 dBm of power and doubles the number of users at a higher data rate than the SCM/SAC-OCDMA system. Proof-of-principle simulations of the proposed system are successfully implemented. Overall, the proposed system performed better than the SCM/SAC-OCDMA system. The system is designed based on modified double weight code, which provides better performance than Hadamard and modified frequency-hopping codes