Institute of Telecommunications, AGH University of Krakow, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland.
Sensors (Basel). 2023 May 22;23(10):4964. doi: 10.3390/s23104964.
This paper presents an analysis of the IEEE 802.11ax networks' coexistence with legacy stations, namely IEEE 802.11ac, IEEE 802.11n, and IEEE 802.11a. The IEEE 802.11ax standard introduces several new features that can enhance network performance and capacity. The legacy devices that do not support these features will continue to coexist with newer devices, creating a mixed network environment. This usually leads to a deterioration in the overall performance of such networks; therefore, in the paper, we want to show how we can reduce the negative impact of legacy devices. In this study, we investigate the performance of mixed networks by applying various parameters to both the MAC and PHY layers. We focus on evaluating the impact of the BSS coloring mechanism introduced to the IEEE 802.11ax standard on network performance. We also examine the impact of A-MPDU and A-MSDU aggregations on network efficiency. Through simulations, we analyze the typical performance metrics such as throughput, mean packet delay, and packet loss of mixed networks with different topologies and configurations. Our findings indicate that implementing the BSS coloring mechanism in dense networks can increase throughput by up to 43%. We also show that the presence of legacy devices in the network disrupts the functioning of this mechanism. To address this, we recommend using an aggregation technique, which can improve throughput by up to 79%. The presented research revealed that it is possible to optimize the performance of mixed IEEE 802.11ax networks.
本文分析了 IEEE 802.11ax 网络与传统站点（即 IEEE 802.11ac、IEEE 802.11n 和 IEEE 802.11a）共存的问题。IEEE 802.11ax 标准引入了一些新特性，可以提高网络性能和容量。不支持这些特性的传统设备将继续与较新的设备共存，从而形成混合网络环境。这通常会导致此类网络的整体性能下降；因此，在本文中，我们希望展示如何降低传统设备的负面影响。在这项研究中，我们通过在 MAC 和 PHY 层应用各种参数来研究混合网络的性能。我们重点评估了为 IEEE 802.11ax 标准引入的 BSS 着色机制对网络性能的影响。我们还研究了 A-MPDU 和 A-MSDU 聚合对网络效率的影响。通过仿真，我们分析了不同拓扑结构和配置的混合网络的典型性能指标，如吞吐量、平均分组延迟和分组丢失率。我们的研究结果表明，在密集网络中实施 BSS 着色机制可以将吞吐量提高多达 43%。我们还表明，网络中存在传统设备会干扰该机制的正常运行。为了解决这个问题，我们建议使用聚合技术，这可以将吞吐量提高多达 79%。研究表明，优化混合 IEEE 802.11ax 网络的性能是可能的。
