Increasing throughput in dense 802.11 networks by automatic rate adaptation improvement

Abstract

Rate control algorithms for commercial 802.11 devices strongly rely on packet losses for their adaptation. As a result, they give poor performance in dense networks because they are not able to distinguish packet losses related to channel error from packet losses due to collision. In this paper, we evaluate automatic rate adaptation algorithms in IEEE 802.11 dense networks. A certain number of works in the literature address this problem, but they demand modifications of the IEEE standard, or depend on some special feature not available in off-the-shelf devices. In this context, we propose a new automatic rate control algorithm which is simple, easy to implement, standards-compliant, and wellsuited for crowded 802.11 networks. Our approach consists of measuring the contention level, inferring the collision probability, and choosing transmission rates which maximize throughput. Results from simulation and real experiments show throughput improvement of up to 100% from our mechanism.

Performance Analysis of Group-Synchronized DCF for Dense IEEE 802.11 Networks

“…In dense IEEE 802.11 networks, the service received by a STA highly depends on the contention level among co-channel competitors covered by the same or nearby APs. To address the contention problem, many schemes have been proposed in the literature from different perspectives, e.g., using power control [5], [11], rate adaptation [12]- [14], and channel assignment and user association [15]- [18].…”

Joint Optimization of Carrier Sensing Threshold and Transmission Rate in Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

“…As surveyed in [1], the promising approaches can be divided into two categories, the temporal approach, mainly refers to the contention window adaptation, and the spatial approach or spatial reuse, including the carrier sensing threshold adaptation, the transmission rate adaptation, the transmission power control and the use of directional antenna. In recent years, there are many efforts focusing on the carrier sensing threshold adaptation [2]- [7] and transmission rate adaptation [8]- [10].…”

“…Cardoso et al [8] propose a standards-compliant rate adaptation algorithm by measuring the contention level to identify the packet losses due to collision for dense IEEE 802.11 networks. Huang et al [9] propose a transmission rate adaptation for colliding links (TRACK) protocol to improve the throughput by enabling the concurrent transmissions of exposed terminals with appropriate transmission rates.…”

“…A concept of rate zone is introduced to justify the rate adaptation, and the experimental, simulation, and real-world results support the hypothesis. Selecting a best transmission rate can take advantage of the received SINR [8], [9], however, the interference caused by potential transmissions degrades the link reliability, and the optimization for individual link or local area may bring adverse impact on the network throughput [10]. Therefore, the interference induced by simultaneous transmissions in the whole network should be controlled to select an appropriate transmission rate.…”

Survey and Performance Evaluation of the Upcoming Next Generation WLANs Standard - IEEE 802.11ax

“…FARF requires that the minimum rate be used for the next transmission after a failed transmission. Cardoso et al[146] design an automatic link adaptation algorithm for the dense deployed IEEE 802.11 network based on the classical sample rate link adaptation algorithm. Biaz et al[147] summarize early IEEE 802.11 rate adaptive algorithms.…”