On the Interactions between Multiple Overlapping WLANs using Channel Bonding

TL;DR

This paper analyzes how channel bonding in overlapping WLANs affects throughput and fairness, using a CTMN model to evaluate performance in dense environments.

Contribution

It introduces a CTMN model to accurately analyze interactions between overlapping WLANs using channel bonding, highlighting performance gains and fairness issues.

Findings

Channel bonding can significantly increase throughput in dense WLAN environments.

Overlapping WLANs may experience unfair access to the spectrum due to channel bonding.

The CTMN model effectively captures the coupled behavior of multiple WLANs.

Abstract

Next-generation WLANs will support the use of wider channels, which is known as channel bonding, to achieve higher throughput. However, because both the channel center frequency and the channel width are autonomously selected by each WLAN, the use of wider channels may also increase the competition with other WLANs operating in the same area for the limited available spectrum, thus causing the opposite effect. In this paper, we analyse the interactions between a group of neighboring WLANs that use channel bonding and evaluate the impact of those interactions on the achievable throughput. A Continuous Time Markov Network (CTMN) model that is able to capture the coupled operation of a group of overlapping WLANs is introduced and validated. The results show that the use of channel bonding can provide significant performance gains even in scenarios with high densities of WLANs, though it may also cause unfair situations in which some WLANs cannot access the channel, while others receive most of the transmission opportunities.