Packet Steering Mechanisms for MLO in Wi-Fi 7

TL;DR

This paper reviews traffic steering policies for Wi-Fi 7's multi-link operation, proposing a simple, flexible mechanism for dynamic packet steering to optimize spectrum usage and enhance deterministic performance.

Contribution

It introduces a practical, adaptable packet steering mechanism for Wi-Fi 7 that supports dynamic traffic management in multi-link environments.

Findings

Supports per-packet steering driven by host

Enhances spectrum utilization efficiency

Aims to reduce latency and jitter

Abstract

Besides extremely high throughput, Wi-Fi 7 is also aimed at providing users a more deterministic behavior, characterized by shorter average latency and smaller jitters. A key mechanism to achieve this is multi-link operation, which brings simultaneous multi-band communication to client stations as well. In this paper, traffic steering policies are briefly reviewed and grouped into general classes, each one with its advantages and limitations. A basic mechanism for supporting dynamic steering is then described, which is simple enough to allow implementation in real Wi-Fi chipsets but highly flexible at the same time. Its operation can be driven by the host on a per-packet basis, and this permits to optimize spectrum usage depending on the requirements of applications and the traffic pattern they generate.