WiFi-Based Virtual Access Network Scheduling for Downlink Traffic Dominated Smart Spaces

Abstract

WiFi networks are widely and densely deployed as infrastructure in smart spaces. However, differentiated services with guaranteed access bandwidths are not supported in traditional WiFi networks. In this paper, wireless virtual access networks are established to provide guaranteed downlink bandwidths for primary users. For each primary user with a demanded access bandwidth, a group of APs are coordinated to serve it. In order to maximize network utilization, two wireless virtual access network scheduling algorithms are designed. One scheduling algorithm is designed based on the maximum independent set in the conflict graph, which has an exponential computation complexity. The other scheduling solution is based on a greedy strategy with linear complexity. Simulation results prove that both scheduling algorithms improve network utilization effectively, and the greedy algorithm is more suitable for practical use.