Improving QoS Performance in IEEE 802.11e Under Heavy Traffic Loads

IEEE 802.11e standard is a concrete attempt to QoS challenge, but when the volume of traffic flows increases, this approach is not sufficient. Several techniques have been developed to improve WLAN QoS performance, mainly introducing a trade-off between performance and standard compatibility. This work describes the techniques used to enhance EDCA efficiency by suitably regulating standard's parameters and it introduces an innovative algorithm, named Dynamic TXOP (DTXOP), capable of enhancing fairness between upstream and downstream resource allocation in Wi-Fi networks. Finally, after a brief review of admission control algorithms for QoS support under heavy traffic loads, a suitable admission control scheme is integrated with DTXOP as a possible solution for facing QoS degradation of active sources due to an excessive network load. The benefits obtained by integrating DTXOP and the proposed admission control policy are shown in terms of QoS enhancement and efficiency in resource allocation. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011.