Practical Rate and Route Adaptation with Efficient Link Quality Estimation for IEEE 802.11b/g Multi-Hop Networks

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel SNR profile-based method for more accurate and efficient link quality estimation in IEEE 802.11b/g multi-hop networks, significantly improving rate adaptation and routing performance.

Contribution

It presents a new PDR estimation technique based on SNR profiles, outperforming existing methods in accuracy and efficiency for wireless link quality assessment.

Findings

PDR estimation accuracy improved by up to 50% in mobile scenarios

Enhanced rate adaptation and route selection increase end-to-end throughput

Prototype implementation demonstrates practical benefits over traditional methods

Abstract

Accurate and fast packet delivery rate (PDR) estimation, used in evaluating wireless link quality, is a prerequisite to increase the performance of mobile, multi-hop and multi-rate wireless ad hoc networks. Unfortunately, contemporary PDR estimation methods, i.e. beacon-based packet counting in Estimated Transmission Time and Expected Transmission Count metrics, have unsatisfactory performance. Therefore, in this paper we propose a novel PDR estimation method based on SNR profiles. We classify all possible link quality estimation methods and compare them analytically against our design. Results show that it leads to a more efficient link quality estimation. Further investigations with the prototype implementation of our method in IEEE 802.11b/g testbeds reveal that the accuracy of PDR estimation in mobile scenarios can be improved up to 50% in comparison to generic packet-based PDR. Experiments with the same prototype on link and routing layers for different measurement scenarios show that it leads to a better rate adaptation and route selection in the form of end-to-end throughput increase compared to traditional packet counting methods.