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MAC-layer rate control for 802.11 networks: a survey

Published: 01 July 2020 Publication History

Abstract

Rate control at the MAC-layer is one of the fundamental building blocks in many wireless networks. Over the past two decades, around thirty mechanisms have been proposed in the literature. Among them, there are mechanisms that make rate selection decisions based on sophisticated measurements of wireless link quality, and others that are based on straight-forward heuristics. Minstrel, for example, is an elegant mechanism that has been adopted by hundreds of millions of computers, yet, not much was known about its performance until recently. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive survey and analysis of the existing solutions from the two fundamental aspects of rate control—metrics and algorithms. We also review how these solutions were evaluated and compared against each other. Based on our detailed studies and observations, we share important insights on future development of rate control mechanisms at the MAC-layer. This discussion also takes into account the recent developments in wireless technologies and emerging applications, such as Internet-of-Things, and shows issues that need to be addressed in the design of new rate control mechanisms suitable for these technologies and applications.

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  • (2024)Open-source Resource Control API for real IEEE 802.11 NetworksProceedings of the 30th Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking10.1145/3636534.3697314(1866-1873)Online publication date: 4-Dec-2024

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            cover image Wireless Networks
            Wireless Networks  Volume 26, Issue 5
            Jul 2020
            813 pages

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            Springer-Verlag

            Berlin, Heidelberg

            Publication History

            Published: 01 July 2020

            Author Tags

            1. Rate adaptation
            2. Rate control
            3. 802.11
            4. WIFI

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            • (2024)Open-source Resource Control API for real IEEE 802.11 NetworksProceedings of the 30th Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking10.1145/3636534.3697314(1866-1873)Online publication date: 4-Dec-2024

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