Full length article: MAC level Throughput comparison: 802.11ac vs. 802.11n

The timing and headers overheads of IEEE 802.11 PHY and MAC layers consume a large part of the chan-nel time leading to performance degradation especially at higher data rates. Several enhancements at both the PHY and MAC layers have been proposed in order to reduce these overheads and increase the channel utilization. A key enhancement is frame aggregation in which the timing and headers overheads are reduced by aggregating multiple frames into a single large frame and then transmit it in a single channel access. This paper addresses the frame aggregation techniques that have been proposed for the next generation wireless networks and the aggregation techniques that are adopted by IEEE 802.11n standard. It also high-lights the aggregation issues that need to be investigated in order to further enhance the frame aggregation performance.

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Frame aggregation in wireless networks: techniques and issues

The IEEE 802.11n standard promises to extend todays most popular WLAN standard by significantly increasing reach, reliability, and throughput. Ratified on september 2009, this standard defines many new physical and medium access control (MAC) layer enhancements. These enhancements aim to provide a data transmission rate of up to 600 Mbps. The frame aggregation mechanism of 802.11n MAC layer can improve the efficiency of channel utilization by reducing the protocol overheads. In this paper we investigate the effect of frame aggregation on the support of voice and video applications in wireless networks. We also propose a new frame aggregation scheduler that considers specific QoS requirements for multimedia applications. We dynamically adjust the aggregated frame size based on frame's access category defined in 802.11e standard.

A frame aggregation scheduler for QoS-sensitive applications in IEEE 802.11n WLANs

The IEEE 802.11n standard promises to extend today’s most popular WLAN standard by significantly increasing reach, reliability, and throughput. Ratified on September 2009, this standard defines many new physical and medium access control (MAC) layer enhancements. These enhancements aim to provide a data transmission rate of up to 600 Mbps. Since June 2007, 802.11n products are available on the enterprise market based on the draft 2.0. In this paper we investigate the effect of most of the proposed 802.11n MAC and physical layer features on the adhoc networks performance. We have performed several experiments in real conditions. The experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of 802.11n enhancement. We have also examined the interoperability and fairness of 802.11n. The frame aggregation mechanism of 802.11n MAC layer can improve the efficiency of channel utilization by reducing the protocol overheads. We focused on the effect of frame aggregation on the support of voice and video applications in wireless networks. We also propose a new frame aggregation scheduler that considers specific QoS requirements for multimedia applications. We dynamically adjust the aggregated frame size based on frame's access category defined in 802.11e standard.

https://www.ijcnis.org/index.php/ijcnis/article/viewFile/286/112

Experimental Performance Evaluation and Frame Aggregation Enhancement in IEEE 802.11n WLANs

The combination of QoS, aggregation and RTS/CTS in Very High Throughput IEEE 802.11ac networks

IEEE 802.11n is an emerging standard for high data-rate wireless local area networks (WLAN). Frame aggregation is vital for enhancing its MAC layer efficiency. A large frame size can usually boost network throughput, yet it also causes a high frame-error rate (FER), which is undesirable for many real-time applications. This paper proposes a novel scheme, the Error-Sensitive Adaptive Frame Aggregation (ESAFA). The ESAFA utilizes the two-layer frame aggregation method specified in 802.11n. It dynamically adjusts the frame aggregation size according to the current channel conditions to satisfy the FER level required by the application. Performance evaluation shows that, when compared with an existing scheme, OFA (Optimal Frame Aggregation), ESAFA greatly improves network throughput and decreases delay, especially in error-prone channels. It also satisfies the FER required by applications in most conditions. We believe that the proposed method is significant for supporting ubiquitous, seamless multimedia services over high-speed WLAN.

Error-Sensitive adaptive frame aggregation in 802.11n WLAN

/pdf/evaluations-and-enhancements-in-802-11n-wlans-a-fi-error-3fdl8ybb6b.pdf

Ken Chan

Papers

Error-Sensitive adaptive frame aggregation in 802.11n WLAN

Evaluations and Enhancements in 802.11n WLANs â•fi Error-Sensitive Adaptive Frame Aggregation