Per-Node Throughput Enhancement in Wi-Fi DenseNets

Abstract

Wi-Fi networks are widely deployed for provision of Internet-centric data services. Since the inception of the Wi-Fi network in 1997 with its technical specification rooted in the IEEE 802.11 standard, much progress for higher data throughput has been made. Currently popular IEEE 802.11n Wi-Fi network in 2.4/5 GHz can deliver 600 Mb/s over a 40 MHz channel, which works well for most types of Internet-centric data services, and a later version of a Wi-Fi network based on IEEE 802.11ac is able to transmit at about 7 Gb/s. A simple configuration of a Wi-Fi network consisting of an AP and multiple stations for bidirectional data transmission enables low-cost implementation. High data rate provided at low cost as well as the abundance of Wi-Fi-capable mobile stations recently led to dense deployment of Wi-Fi networks, particularly in residential areas, business offices, and indoor/outdoor hotspots. However, dense deployment of Wi-Fi networks (e.g., Wi-Fi DenseNets) causes significantly increased overall interference, and as a result a significantly lowered achievable data rate. Thus, it is sensible to consider technologies that can resolve or mitigate deteriorated throughput of Wi-Fi DenseNets. In this article, technologies to deal with throughput enhancement of Wi-Fi DenseNets are addressed from three different perspectives: exploiting cellular technology for data transmission, elevating spectral efficiency, and controlling overall interference levels. Evaluation of interference control for Wi-Fi DenseNets is carried out in this article, and it is found that significant per-node throughput enhancement can be achieved.