NeTS: Small: Collaborative Research: Reliable 60 GHz WLANs through Coordination: Measurement, Modeling and Optimization

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Although wireless networks have advanced significantly over the last few years, newly emerging applications such as augmented/virtual reality and ultra high-definition video streaming and the continuous growth of mobile and wearable devices are leading to higher than ever mobile traffic demand. It is becoming apparent that today's wireless networks (such as 2.4/5 GHz Wi-Fi) are struggling to satisfy the demand and there is a need for designing the next generation of wireless networks that can provide significantly higher data rates in a reliable manner. Wireless communication using the 60 GHz unlicensed millimeter-wave spectrum has shown the potential to bridge this gap by providing multi-gigabit per second data rates. Designing enterprise-grade 60 GHz millimeter-wave wireless networks is challenging due to directionality and severe performance degradations observed in presence of human blockages. The main objective of this project is to design proactive blockage mitigation techniques based on network coordination that can enable high data rate wireless links while ensuring reliability in presence of mobility and blockages. The project will have immediate impact on research and development of high-speed millimeter-wave mobile wireless networks. It will result in hands-on wireless networking research experience for undergraduate and graduate students. The aim of this project is to investigate a novel class of proactive blockage mitigation techniques based on coordination between the access points of 60 GHz WLANs. The proposed research exploits joint transmissions from multiple access points to mobile devices. With intelligent selection of access points and antenna sectors, such joint transmissions can provide adequate spatial diversity and separation of angle-of-arrival, resulting in robust communication in presence of self-body blockages. The project will use measurements, modeling and optimization to design, analyze and evaluate joint transmissions. First, multi-state performance degradation models for link blockages will be developed using measurements. The models will be used to design novel reliability metrics for assessing the robustness provided by joint transmissions. Second, based on the measurement-driven models, a joint access point selection and link scheduling problem will be studied with the aim of maximizing network throughput taking into account reliability-spatial reuse trade-offs. Third, the impact of joint transmissions on link layer delay will be studied using measurements on 360-degree live video streaming over 60 GHz links, and delay sensitive scheduling strategies will be investigated. The proposed research will be evaluated using 60 GHz off-the-shelf devices and a software-radio platform with phased antenna arrays.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.