A Case for Adapting Channel Width in Wireless Networks
by Ranveer Chandra, Paramvir Bahl, Ratul Mahajan, Thomas Moscibroda, Ramya Raghavendra
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| url: | http://research.microsoft.com/~ranveer/docs/ChannelWidth.pdf | | type: | misc | | abstract: | We study a fundamental yet under-explored facet in wireless communication
– the width of the spectrum over which transmitters spread their signals,
or the channel width. Through detailed measurements in controlled and live
environments, and using only commodity 802.11 hardware, we first quantify
the impact of channel width on throughput, range, and power consumption.
Taken together, our findings make a strong case for wireless systems
that adapt channel width. Such adaptation brings unique benefits. For instance,
when the throughput required is low, moving to a narrower channel
increases range and reduces power consumption; in fixed-width systems,
these two quantities are always in conflict.
We then present SampleWidth, a channel width adaptation algorithm for
the base case of two communicating nodes. This algorithm is based on a
simple search process that builds on top of existing techniques for adapting
modulation. Per specified policy, it can maximize throughput or minimize
power consumption. Evaluation using a prototype implementation shows
that SampleWidth correctly identities the optimal width under a range of
scenarios. In our experiments with mobility, it increases throughput by
more than 60% compared to the best fixed-width configuration. |
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