Future WiFi

In FTNet lab we ought to develop new paradigm that will yield to the next generation of the so successful but still limited WiFi Technology.

The 4th Channel !

Ubiquitous IEEE 802.11 networks operating in the 2.4 GHz ISM band could complement the cellular systems in indoor and rural environments. Wi-Fi networks are allocated 14 channels in this frequency band, thereof only 3 non-overlapped channels are allowed for Wi-Fi extended service sets in order to avoid interference. In a project in collaboration with Oslo University Hospital we investigated the use of assignment configurations with 4 partially-overlapped channels for VoIP transmissions, which may increase the network capacity in terms of concurrent users supported by Wi-Fi networks. Through computer simulations we demonstrate that 4-channel configurations are feasible at the expense of a tolerable degradation in quality of service for voice traffic with pedestrian mobility.

Unlimited transmitted power for increased throughput and coverage

The use of wireless equipment in the already overcrowded ISM bands had been further growing in recent years. This increase leads to high interference levels, which causes unstable communication and an average throughput reduction in heavily-used channels. This calls for more robust, interference-aware means of channel-access for Wi-Fi and similar wireless devices in ISM bands. In this project with international collaboration (e.g. with Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania, and more), we propose a Game Theory (GT) based power allocation mechanism for IEEE 802.11 networks, which might incorporate some aspects of Cognitive Radio (CR) functionality. Up to now operation of 802.11 devices was constrained by regulations in terms of maximum transmission power, in order to limit the extent of interference from uncoordinated emissions. Our proposed mechanism, with its feasibility backed by the practical experimentation, would allow embracing lighter regulatory rules or complete abolition of power limits for unlicensed access in ISM bands. Moreover, our proposed concept of channel access based on power balancing game might also make unnecessary the use of CSMA/CA protocol.

QoS for WiFi

Within the framework of Future WiFi it worth to mention our earlier works on performance analysis of the QoS based MAC mechanism of WiFi. In these works we studied the effect of CSMA/CA variables such as contention windows on the QoS that can be offered to different class of services. More details can be found in paper [...]