Rate Adaptation in Congested Wireless Networks through Real-Time Measurements

Rate adaptation is a critical component that impacts the performance of IEEE 802.11 wireless networks. In congested networks, traditional rate adaptation algorithms have been shown to choose lower data-rates for packet transmissions, leading to reduced total network throughput and capacity. A primar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on mobile computing 2010-11, Vol.9 (11), p.1535-1550
Main Authors: Acharya, Prashanth A K, Sharma, Ashish, Belding, Elizabeth M, Almeroth, Kevin C, Papagiannaki, Konstantina
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Access protocols
access schemes
Adaptation
Algorithm design and analysis
algorithm/protocol design and analysis
Algorithms
Applied sciences
Business and industry local networks
Channels
Congestion
Exact sciences and technology
Interconnected networks
Internet
IP networks
Measurement techniques
Networks
Networks and services in france and abroad
Packet switching
Propagation losses
Real time
Studies
Switching and signalling
Systems, networks and services of telecommunications
Telecommunications
Telecommunications and information theory
Teleprocessing networks. Isdn
Teletraffic
Testing
Throughput
Wireless communication
Wireless communications
Wireless LAN
Wireless networks
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Summary:Rate adaptation is a critical component that impacts the performance of IEEE 802.11 wireless networks. In congested networks, traditional rate adaptation algorithms have been shown to choose lower data-rates for packet transmissions, leading to reduced total network throughput and capacity. A primary reason for this behavior is the lack of real-time congestion measurement techniques that can assist in the identification of congestion-related packet losses in a wireless network. In this work, we first propose two real-time congestion measurement techniques, namely an active probe-based method called Channel Access Delay, and a passive method called Channel Busy Time. We evaluate the two techniques in a testbed network and a large WLAN connected to the Internet. We then present the design and evaluation of Wireless cOngestion Optimized Fallback (WOOF), a rate adaptation scheme that uses congestion measurement to identify congestion-related packet losses. Through simulation and testbed implementation we show that, compared to other well-known rate adaptation algorithms, WOOF achieves up to 300 percent throughput improvement in congested networks.
ISSN:1536-1233
1558-0660
DOI:10.1109/TMC.2010.108