Characterizing, Estimating and Improving the Performance of 802.11 Networks

无论是在旅途中、在家还是在工作中，人们越来越依赖于通过802.11 （WiFi）网络连接到互联网。预计2016年至2021年间，WiFi芯片组出货量将超过200亿，全球公共WiFi热点数量预计将从2016年的9400万个增加到2021年的5.42亿个。尽管推出了高速4G和5G蜂窝技术，但WiFi仍然是移动设备无线通信的主导技术。2016年，60%的蜂窝网络流量被转移到WiFi网络，预计这一数字将继续增加。最近的研究发现，家庭WiFi网络往往是传输数据的瓶颈，而不是ISP链路。最近的另一项研究报告称，在发达国家，平均每个家庭有7台设备，家庭网络接入点的中位数为20个。在这种环境中获得峰值吞吐量是极具挑战性的，因为无线电频谱是由WiFi设备（例如接入点、计算机、智能手机、平板电脑、电视和游戏机）和非WiFi设备（例如无线键盘、鼠标和微波炉）共享的。此外，WiFi设备的日益普及加剧了这个问题。因此，我们必须了解如何在密集部署WiFi设备的情况下优化性能。我们的研究重点是开发提高WiFi网络吞吐量的工具和技术，特别是在性能受移动性、WiFi或非WiFi干扰影响的环境中，以及在密集部署场景中。总体目标是通过提高设备在使用802.11 （WiFi）网络时的吞吐量来改善用户体验。对加拿大的潜在好处是，在b谷歌和加拿大其他公司，高素质、高薪、纳税的员工数量将会增加。改进的WiFi通信可以减少延迟，增加通过互联网销售产品的加拿大公司的收入（研究表明延迟会减少收入）。

Whether on the go, at home, or at work, people increasingly rely on connecting to the Internet via 802.11 (WiFi) networks. It is anticipated that over 20 billion WiFi chipsets will be shipped between 2016 and 2021 and the number of public WiFi hot spots in the world is projected to increase from 94 million in 2016 to 542 million by 2021. Despite the introduction of high speed 4G and 5G cellular technologies, WiFi remains the dominant technology for wireless communications on mobile devices. In 2016, 60% of cellular network traffic was offloaded to WiFi networks and this number is projected to continue to increase. Recent work has found that home WiFi networks are more often the bottleneck in delivering data than the ISP link. Another recent study reports that on average there are 7 devices in every home and the median number of access points seen from a home network in developed countries is 20. Obtaining peak throughput in such environments is extremely challenging because radio spectrums are shared by WiFi devices (e.g., access points, computers, smart phones, tablets, TVs, and game consoles) and non-WiFi devices (e.g., wireless keyboards and mice and microwave ovens). Furthermore, the increasing popularity of WiFi devices exacerbates the problem. It is therefore imperative that we understand how to optimize performance in situations that include dense deployments of WiFi devices. The focus of our research is to develop tools and techniques to improve the throughput of WiFi networks, especially in environments where performance is impacted by mobility, WiFi or non-WiFi interference, and in dense deployment scenarios. The overarching goal is to improve the user experience by increasing the throughput of their devices when using 802.11 (WiFi) networks. Potential benefits to Canada would be an increase in the number of highly qualified, high salaried, tax paying, employees at Google and other companies in Canada. Improved WiFi communication should reduce delays and increase revenues for Canadian companies that sell products via the Internet (studies show that delays decrease revenues).