Beacons in Dense Wi-Fi Networks: How to Befriend with Neighbors in the 5G World?

TL;DR

This paper investigates beacon collision issues in dense Wi-Fi networks, especially in 5G environments, and explores mechanisms to mitigate these collisions to improve network reliability.

Contribution

It analyzes the prevalence of beacon collisions in dense deployments and evaluates potential solutions considered by IEEE 802.11ax to address these challenges.

Findings

Beacon collisions are common in residential dense Wi-Fi networks.

Beacon collisions can cause disassociation and Internet access issues.

Proposed mechanisms may reduce beacon collisions in dense environments.

Abstract

To address 5G challenges, IEEE 802.11 is currently developing new amendments to the Wi-Fi standard, the most promising of which is 802.11ax. A key scenario considered by the developers of this amendment is dense and overlapped networks typically present in residential buildings, offices, airports, stadiums, and other places of a modern city. Being crucial for Wi-Fi hotspots, the hidden station problem becomes even more challenging for dense and overlapped networks, where even access points (APs) can be hidden. In this case, user stations can experience continuous collisions of beacons sent by different APs, which can cause disassociation and break Internet access. In this paper, we show that beacon collisions are rather typical for residential networks and may lead to unexpected and irreproducible malfunction. We investigate how often beacon collisions occur, and describe a number of mechanisms which can be used to avoid beacon collisions in dense deployment. Specifically, we pay much attention to those mechanisms which are currently under consideration of the IEEE 802.11ax group.