Goodput analysis and link adaptation for IEEE 802.11a wireless LANs

Link adaptation to dynamically select the data transmission rate at a given time has been recognized as an effective way to improve the goodput performance of the IEEE 802.11 wireless local-area networks (WLANs). Recently, with the introduction of the new high-speed 802.11a physical layer (PHY), it is even more important to have a well-designed link adaptation scheme work with the 802.11a PHY such that its multiple transmission rates can be exploited. In this paper, we first present a generic method to analyze the goodput performance of an 802.11a system under the distributed coordination function (DCF) and express the expected effective goodput as a closed-form function of the data payload length, the frame retry count, the wireless channel condition, and the selected data transmission rate. Then, based on the theoretical analysis, we propose a novel MPDU (MAC protocol data unit)-based link adaptation scheme for the 802.11a systems. It is a simple table-driven approach and the basic idea is to preestablish a best PHY mode table by applying the dynamic programming technique. The best PHY mode table is indexed by the system status triplet that consists of the data payload length, the wireless channel condition, and the frame retry count. At runtime, a wireless station determines the most appropriate PHY mode for the next transmission attempt by a simple table lookup, using the most up-to-date system status as the index. Our in-depth simulation shows that the proposed MPDU-based link adaptation scheme outperforms the single-mode schemes and the autorate fallback (ARF) scheme-which is used in Lucent Technologies' WaveLAN-II networking devices-significantly in terms of the average goodput, the frame drop rate, and the average number of transmission attempts per data frame delivery.     

基于控制帧改进的速率自适应算法

针对目前经典的IEEE 802.11速率自适应算法进行分析研究,提出了在基于接收端的自适应速率算法(RBAR)和机遇式自适应速率算法(OAR)基础上根据信道质量对控制帧采用速率自适应从而减少控制帧开销的改进机制,以提高网络资源的利用率和系统的吞吐量。采用NS2网络仿真工具仿真验证其吞吐量,并与经典算法吞吐量进行对比。仿真结果表明,根据对于控制帧采用速率自适应,可以有效提高系统吞吐量和网络资源的利用率,性能优于传统经典的速率自适应算法。     

Optimization of Recursive Least Square-Based Adaptive Linear Equalizer for ZigBee Transceiver

An efficient technique to compensate for the channel detrimental effects in ZigBee systems is introduced in this paper. The proposed methodology relies on adding a recursive least square (RLS) based adaptive linear equalizer (ALE) to the physical layer of the receiver side. The performance of the RLS based ALE is investigated inside the ZigBee system under different multipath fading situations: Rician and Rayleigh. Moreover, the paper proposes a methodology for deciding the RLS based ALE’s design parameters. The design procedure depends on solving multiple objectives optimizing function based on genetic algorithms (GAs). The ALE’s parameters are chosen, such that the system experiences minimum bit error rate (BER) with fast convergence response. For design verification purposes, the ZigBee transceiver is modeled in MATLAB Simulink and tested under different fading and signal to noise ratios. In addition, the performance of the RLS adaptation algorithm is compared with the least mean square (LMS) one. The results show that the RLS based ALE provides better ZigBee performance with less BER and fast adaptation response.     

Ad Hoc网络基于TCP吞吐量的速率自适应技术

目前的IEEE 802.11标准在物理层支持多速率传输,但在媒体接入控制(MAC,Media AccessControl)层却没有相应的速率自适应方法。针对目前Ad Hoc网络自适应速率控制方法的不足和在无线通信环境下TCP性能会大幅度恶化,提出了一种改进的MAC层速率自适应协议,该协议实现简单,与传统标准兼容性好,在提高TCP吞吐量的基础上能适应快速变化的无线信道,且能实现分段数据包的速率自适应传输。仿真结果表明,该协议比RBAR协议有更好的吞吐量。     

IEEE 802.11n: Joint modulation‐coding and guard interval adaptation scheme for throughput enhancement

IEEE 802.11n is a high‐speed wireless broadband local area networking standard. IEEE 802.11n‐based devices are using some kind of adaptive modulation‐coding (AMC) scheme to adjust its transmission rate according to the radio channel condition. In these devices, however, the concept of guard interval adaptation is not been considered. Normally, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) technology‐based systems are using the guard interval much greater than the length of the channel impulse response. However, many previous works have shown that the choice of the larger guard interval is inefficient in terms of achievable throughput. IEEE802.11n supports using two guard intervals (short = 400 ns or long = 800 ns). Indeed, the shorter guard interval evidently results in intersymbol interference (ISI) and intercarrier interference (ICI), but the gain offered by shortened guard interval may exceed the loss caused by interference. In this paper, we propose a novel but simple solution for the guard interval adaptation joint with an adaptive modulation‐coding scheme to optimize the throughput performance of a wireless local area network (WLAN) system. This paper aims to analyze the effect of joint adaptive modulation‐coding and the guard interval (JAMCGI) algorithm on the WLAN system under bit‐error‐rate (BER) constraints. Simulation results and their analysis show a significant increase in the throughput performance of the WLAN system with our proposed algorithm.     

无线Ad Hoc网络MAC层速率自适应技术研究

目前的IEEE802.11标准虽然在物理层提供了对多速率的支持,但是在MAC（媒体接入控制,Media Access Control）层却没有规定速率自适应的方法。研究了无线Ad Hoc网络（自组织网）中的速率自适应技术,针对RBAR协议存在的不足提出了一种改进的MAC层速率自适应协议,该协议实现简单,与标准的兼容性好,对信道的变化适应能力更强。仿真结果表明,该协议比RBAR协议具有更好的性能。     

On the Feasibility of the Link Abstraction in Wireless Mesh Networks

Outdoor community mesh networks based on IEEE 802.11 have seen tremendous growth in the recent past. The current understanding is that wireless link performance in these settings is inherently unpredictable, due to multipath delay spread. Consequently, researchers have focused on developing intelligent routing techniques to achieve the best possible performance. In this paper, we are specifically interested in mesh networks in rural locations. We first present detailed measurements to show that the PHY layer in these settings is indeed stable and predictable. There is a strong correlation between the error rate and the received signal strength. We show that interference, and not multipath fading, is the primary cause of unpredictable performance. This is in sharp contrast with current widespread knowledge from prior studies. Furthermore, we corroborate our view with a fresh analysis of data presented in these prior studies. While our initial measurements focus on 802.11b, we then use two different PHY technologies as well, operating in the 2.4-GHz ISM band: 802.11g and 802.15.4. These show similar results too. Based on our results, we argue that outdoor rural mesh networks can indeed be built with the link abstraction being valid. This has several design implications, including at the MAC and routing layers, and opens up a fresh perspective on a wide range of technical issues in this domain.     

在脉冲噪声环境中用于快衰信道估计的改进型算法

该文分析了在存在噪声干扰的情况下,进行估计快衰信道的方法。在无线通信系统中,快衰信道可以采用AR(Auto-Regressive)模型进行预测,而LS (Least Square)算法和自适应Kalman滤波器可以分别对AR模型的参数和信道的冲激响应进行估计,但是这两种算法对噪声干扰非常敏感。该文提出改进型的RLM算法和Kalman 滤波器,并在存在噪声的情况下,使用它们并行对AR参数和信道的冲激响应进行联合估计。仿真结果显示:相比于传统的算法,改进后的算法在联合估计信道时,提高了抵抗大脉冲干扰的能力,加快了待估的参数的收敛速度。     

Wi-Fi (802.11b) and Bluetooth: enabling coexistence

This article provides an introduction to issues of coexistence between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi^TM (IEEE 802.11b), with particular attention to scenarios requiring simultaneous operation, or Sim-OP^TM, of both systems in very close proximity. The article explains basic interference mechanisms and quantifies their impact through both actual measurements and simulation. We have developed a detailed simulator that fully models behavior of the physical layer (PHY) and media access control (MAC) of both Bluetooth and 802.11b; it is used to expand the analysis and project the mutual impact of collocated Bluetooth and 802.11b systems across a number of geometries, system parameter settings, and design choices, complementing efforts within the IEEE 802.15.2 Task Group, which are also discussed. The article concludes with a discussion of techniques with the potential to greatly improve the performance of collocated Bluetooth and Wi-Fi systems. A key result of this investigation is that while performance of both systems can degrade when they are collocated, a number of techniques can be employed to virtually eliminate the problems     

Joint evolutionary spectrum and autoregressive‐based approach to modeling non‐stationary flat fading channels

Modeling of wireless channels, especially non‐stationary fading channels, is important for design and performance analysis of wireless communication systems. Recently, we proposed a new approach to modeling non‐stationary fading channels, based on the theory of evolutionary spectrum (ES). In this paper, we develop a time‐varying autoregressive (AR) model for a non‐stationary flat fading channel; specifically, we develop a method to determine the time‐varying coefficients of the AR channel model, given the ES of a non‐stationary process. Furthermore, with the ES theory, we develop a trace‐driven time‐varying AR channel simulator to generate a non‐stationary flat fading process. Simulation results show that the ES of the channel gain process produced by our joint ES‐and‐AR‐based channel model agrees well with the user‐specified ES, indicating the accuracy of our joint ES‐and‐AR‐based channel model. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Enhanced high‐performance distributed coordination function for IEEE 802.11 multi‐rate LANs

To compensate for the effects of fading in wireless channels, IEEE 802.11 systems utilize a rate‐adaptation mechanism to accomplish a multi‐rate capability. However, the IEEE 802.11 distributed coordination function results in a fundamental performance anomaly in multi‐rate networks; namely, when stations with different transmission rates collide, the throughput performance of the high‐rate station is significantly degraded by the relatively longer channel occupancy time of the low‐rate station. This study resolves this problem through the use of an enhanced high‐performance distributed coordination function (EHDCF) protocol. While most existing solutions to the multi‐rate performance anomaly problem have the form of simple contention‐based protocols, EHDCF has two modes, namely a contending mode and an active mode. In the proposed protocol, new stations joining the network are assigned a contending mode, but switch to an active node (and are therefore permitted to transmit data packets) as soon as they have gained access to the channel. Having transmitted a data packet, the active node then selects the next transmission station in accordance with a probability‐based rule designed such that the high‐rate stations within the network receive a greater number of transmission opportunities than the low‐rate stations. The simulation results show that the EHDCF protocol not only yields a significant improvement in the network throughput but also guarantees the temporal fairness of all the stations. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Coexistence of IEEE 802.11b and Bluetooth: An Integrated Performance Analysis

IEEE 802.11b wireless networks and Bluetooth networks provide complimentary services using the same unlicensed radio frequency band. As the benefits of utilizing these services become increasingly apparent, the likelihood of mutual interference also increases. The well-known frequency hopping algorithm and adaptive frequency hopping algorithm do not fully consider the interference level of the operating environment. In this paper an algorithm called interference-aware adaptive frequency hopping (IAFH) is presented and implemented on Bluetooth devices to mitigate the interference between IEEE 802.11b and Bluetooth wireless networks. An analytical model of IAFH is developed to evaluate the performance of 802.11b stations and Bluetooth devices in a mutual interference environment. The analysis comprises the collision probability, packet error rate, and throughput performance for both IEEE 802.11b and Bluetooth wireless networks. Simulation results confirm that 802.11b station and IAFH-enabled Bluetooth devices experience lower packet error rates and better throughput as compared to the frequency hopping and adaptive frequency hopping algorithms.     

On spectral efficiency of low-complexity adaptive MIMO systems in Rayleigh fading channel

Adaptive MQAM modulation is used to maximize spectral efficiency of Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems while keeping bit error rate (BER) under a target level. Closed-form expressions of the average spectral efficiency, coined as discrete-rate spectral efficiency (DRSE), are derived for adaptive modulation MIMO systems using different algorithms. To further enhance the spectral efficiency, a low complexity adaptation scheme is suggested to switch across different algorithms based on the DRSE. In the current letter, we investigate the adaptation scheme that switches between Orthogonal Space-Time Block Codes (OSTBC) and spatial multiplexing with zero-forcing (ZF) detection for MIMO systems with two transmit antennas. Two types of operating environment are considered: flat Rayleigh fading channel without spatial correlation and spatially correlated Rayleigh fading channel with transmit correlation.     

Cross‐layer design for MIMO systems over spatially correlated and keyhole Nakagami‐m fading channels

Cross‐layer design is a generic designation for a set of efficient adaptive transmission schemes, across multiple layers of the protocol stack, that are aimed at enhancing the spectral efficiency and increasing the transmission reliability of wireless communication systems. In this paper, one such cross‐layer design scheme that combines physical layer adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) with link layer truncated automatic repeat request (T‐ARQ) is proposed for multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) systems employing orthogonal space‐‐time block coding (OSTBC). The performance of the proposed cross‐layer design is evaluated in terms of achievable average spectral efficiency (ASE), average packet loss rate (PLR) and outage probability, for which analytical expressions are derived, considering transmission over two types of MIMO fading channels, namely, spatially correlated Nakagami‐m fading channels and keyhole Nakagami‐m fading channels. Furthermore, the effects of the maximum number of ARQ retransmissions, numbers of transmit and receive antennas, Nakagami fading parameter and spatial correlation parameters, are studied and discussed based on numerical results and comparisons. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

CLACK: Cross-layer ACK-Aided Opportunistic Transmission in Wireless Networks

Wi-Fi has gained tremendous attention from the research community, yielding successful technological advancements. However, the data throughput efficiency (the ratio of application throughput to the maximum achievable physical data rate) degrades rapidly as the PHY data rate increases when using the current 802.11 medium access control (MAC) protocol. To address this MAC inefficiency, many protocols have been introduced and standardized. This paper describes and examines these state-of-the-art enhancements to MAC efficiency for the 802.11 standard, and proposes a CLACK (Cross-Layer ACK) method that tackles this issue in totally different manner to those previous schemes. The main idea is simple: When a receiver sends an ACK, it transmits the data using the ACK transmission opportunity, and avoids channel contention necessary for data transmissions. The receiver’s short signature is piggybacked in the PHY instead of the MAC to acknowledge the packet reception. We have implemented CLACK using USRP toolkits and GNU Software Define Radio. Our implementation demonstrates the feasibility of our key techniques for both PHY and MAC design. Further, we use detailed simulation to evaluate CLACK in general wireless environments under different traffic loads and varying channel conditions. Our results show that CLACK gains up to 52 % in terms of throughput, when compared to the basic 802.11 scheme, and up to 18 % when compared to existing advanced 802.11e/n schemes.     

基于信道状态的室内定位技术研究

传统的室内定位技术由于RSSI受限于多径效应和时间波动性,定位效果具有很大的不稳定性。本文采用细粒化的无线状态信道信息,即通过对物理层信道响应的测量来减少多径干扰,并实现采用OFDM和MIMO技术的新一代无线网络条件下的室内定位新方法。本文分析了定位算法的系统设计,通过802.11n无线网卡采集OFDM系统中特性信道状态信息的频率分集特性参数并经过校准,使之应用于室内定位算法。仿真结果显示相比于传统基于RSSI的定位方法,基于信道状态信息的室内定位系统具有更好的定位精度和稳定性。     

OFDM系统中子信道的自适应比特、功率分配

研究了一种改进的OFDM系统中子信道的自适应比特、功率分配算法。该算法可适用于多径频率选择性衰落信道,它根据信道的瞬时特性,动态地为OFDM系统的各子信道分配传输比特数和发送功率。依据不同的分配准则,采用了MA和RA两种优化算法。仿真结果表明,采用自适应技术可以大大提高OFDM系统的性能。     

Payload Length and Rate Adaptation for Multimedia Communications in Wireless LANs

We provide a theoretical framework for cross-layer design in multimedia communications to optimize single-user throughput by selecting the transmitted bit rate and payload size as a function of channel conditions for both additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and Nakagami-m fading channels. Numerical results reveal that careful payload length adaptation significantly improves the throughput performance at low signal to noise ratios (SNRs), while at higher SNRs, rate adaptation with higher payload lengths provides better throughput performance. Since we are interested in multimedia applications, we do not allow retransmissions in order to minimize latency and to reduce congestion on the wireless link and we assume that packet loss concealment will be used to compensate for lost packets. We also investigate the throughput and packet error rate performance over multipath frequency selective fading channels for typical payload sizes used in voice and video applications. We explore the difference in link adaptation thresholds for these payload sizes using the Nafteli Chayat multipath fading channel model, and we present a link adaptation scheme to maximize the throughput subject to a packet error rate constraint.     

A new combination of adaptive channel estimation methods and TORC equalizer in MC‐CDMA systems

Adaptive systems identification has been widely studied, but most studies have focused on the convergence of these methods. Applications of equalization systems have also received much attention. This paper presents a new combination of adaptive Broadband Radio Access Networks (BRAN) channel identification algorithms for multicarrier code division multiple access (MC‐CDMA) systems downlink equalization. In fifth‐generation (5G) wireless communications, MC‐CDMA is expected to support the associated networks. The BRAN E channel parameters, representing an outdoor scenario normalized for MC‐CDMA systems, are identified using a recursive least mean pth power algorithm with logarithmic transformation (RlogLMP). For validity and test aim, this algorithm is compared with the existing recursive least square (RLS) and least mean square (LMS) algorithms. Moreover, we use the estimated coefficients in the adaptive equalization problem. We give a review of the threshold orthogonality restoring combining (TORC) equalizer, which is coupled with the presented algorithms to counteract channel fading, as evaluated by the bit error rate (BER). Our performance results show that the RlogLMP algorithm can estimate the measured BRAN E channel with good efficiency for various values of the signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), as compared with the classical algorithms RLS and LMS. In adaptive equalization problems, the achieved results demonstrate that two thresholds ρ_TH in the TORC equalizer minimize the performance degradation, in terms of the BER, of the MC‐CDMA system under multipath channel fading with very good accuracy, especially if the coefficients are estimated with the specific case of the power p in the RlogLMP algorithm.     

Exploiting the channel using uninterrupted collision‐free MAC adaptation over IEEE 802.11 WLANs

IEEE 802.11 wireless local area networks (WLANs) have reached an important stage and become a common technology for wireless access due to its low cost, ease of deployment, and mobility support. In parallel with the extensive growth of WLANs, the development of an efficient medium access control protocol that provides both high throughput performance for data traffic and quality of service support for real‐time applications has become a major focus in WLAN research. The IEEE 802.11 Distributed Coordination Functions (DCF/EDCA) provide contention‐based distributed channel access mechanisms for stations to share the wireless medium. However, performance of these mechanisms may drop dramatically because of high collision probabilities as the number of active stations increases. In this paper, we propose an adaptive collision‐free MAC adaptation. The proposed scheme prevents collisions and allows stations to enter the collision‐free state regardless of the traffic load (saturated or unsaturated) and the number of stations on the medium. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme dramatically enhances the overall throughput and supports quality of service for real‐time services over 802.11‐based WLANs. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.