Efficient Load-Aware Channel Allocation in Wireless Access Networks

Dense deployments of hybridWLANs result in high levels of interference and low end-user throughput. Many frequency allocation mechanisms for WLANs have been proposed by a large body of previous studies. However, none of these mechanisms considers the load that is carried by APs in terms of channel conditions, number of affiliated users as well as communication-load, in conjunction. In this paper, we propose LAC, a load-aware channel allocation scheme for WLANs, which considers all the above performance determinant factors. LAC incorporates an airtime costmetric into its channel scanning process, in order to capture the effects of these factors and select the channel that will provide approximately maximum long-term throughput. We evaluate LAC through extensive OPNET simulations, for many different traffic scenarios. Our simulations demonstrate that LAC outperforms other frequency allocation policies for WLANs in terms of total network throughput by up to 135%.