A novel rate adaptation scheme for 802.11 networks

We develop a rate adaptation scheme for 802.11 networks termed SRC that is based on a novel combination of sequential hypothesis testing and short-term loss ratios. The underlying design of SRC represents a fundamental departure from previous rate adjustment strategies that employ fixed-size observation windows and seemingly-intuitive rate increase guidelines. Through extensive simulation results, SRC is shown to be robust to dynamic characteristics of the wireless channel and to significantly increase network throughput over existing mainstream rate adaptation solutions. SRC does not require any type of specialized hardware or modifications to the existing 802.11 standard.