Packet size impact on the 802.11 network performances

Abstract

The 802.11 performances degrade significantly when many access points are deployed within the same interfering area. New series of 802.11x are deployed and other alternative technologies, such as WiMAX, are exist. However, as 802.11 devices are widely deployed, existing technology optimization is less expensive than new technology deployment. This paper reports simulation evaluations of 802.11 performance enhancement by increasing 802.11 packet size. The increasing size can be performed within medium access layer or within transport layer through buffering schemas. The assessment shows that by doubling the packet size, the media access delay in 802.11b can be reduced up to 61%, throughput is increased up to 2.16%, and network utility is maximized up to 2.25 %.