WiLDNet: Design and Implementation of High Performance WiFi Based Long Distance Networks

WiFi-based Long Distance (WiLD) networks with links as long as 50–100 km have the potential to provide connectivity at substantially lower costs than traditional approaches. However, real-world deployments of such networks yield very poor end-to-end performance. First, the current 802.11 MAC protocol has fundamental shortcomings when used over long distances. Second, WiLD networks can exhibit high and variable loss characteristics, thereby severely limiting end-to-end throughput. This paper describes the design, implementation and evaluation of WiLDNet, a system that overcomes these two problems and provides enhanced end-to-end performance in WiLD networks. To address the protocol shortcomings, WiLDNet makes several essential changes to the 802.11 MAC protocol, but continues to exploit standard (low-cost) WiFi network cards. To better handle losses and improve link utilization, WiLDNet uses an adaptive loss-recovery mechanism using FEC and bulk acknowledgments. Based on a real-world...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2007
• Where: NSDI
• Authors: Rabin K. Patra, Sergiu Nedevschi, Sonesh Surana, Anmol Sheth, Lakshminarayanan Subramanian, Eric A. Brewer
• Keywords: Computer Networks, End-to-end Performance, Long Distances, NSDI 2007, Real-world Deployment