User-Based Channel Assignment Algorithm in a Load-Balanced IEEE 802.11 WLAN

A new load balancing algorithm is presented based on power management of Access Points (APs) to reduce congestion at hot spots in Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) and to assign channels to APs The algorithm first finds the Most Congested Access Point (MCAP), then decreases its transmitted power in discrete steps, and the process continues until the users’ assignment which leads to a high balance index is reached. A new mathematical programming formulation is then applied to assign channels to the APs such that the Signal-to-Interference Ratio (SIR) at the users’ level is maximized. Results show that the algorithm is capable of reducing the overall congestion at hot spots in a WLAN and increases the SIR significantly for cases involving relatively large WLANs. In the process, network throughput is increased. [Article copies are available for purchase from InfoSci-on-Demand.com]