End-to-end delay assurances in multihop wireless local area networks

In this paper, we address the problem of providing multiple classes of delay assurances to end-to-end applications in a multihop wireless local area network (WLAN) architecture. Specifically, mobile users form multihop wireless connections towards an access point (AP) for Internet access. In this context, not all users are directly reachable by AP. Users are potentially distributed in an area larger than one common contention medium and are subject to physical channel variations and mobility induced topology changes, all of which contribute to large variation in end-to-end packet delays. The paper formulates the delay assurance problem in multihop WLAN and proposes a solution framework together with an approximate implementation. Finally, with simulation, it demonstrates the substantially enhanced delay assurance provided with the framework as compared to the 802.11 baseline service over stationary and mobile multihop WLAN scenarios.