On the Mitigation of Long-Range Dependence in IEEE 802.11 Networks

Several fractal or scaling phenomena, such as self-similarity and long-range dependence, have been detected in network traffic, with important implications for network performance. In this paper we describe a detailed study that assesses how the characteristics of traffic change when it traverses IEEE 802.11 networks. Various scenarios, including the hidden node situation and the effect of relaying, have been simulated. The simpler scenario has also been replicated in a real testbed, in order to corroborate the results obtained in the simulations. The most significant results are the smoothing effect of the MAC mechanisms on the traffic at the highest frequencies, while at the lowest frequencies we find a mitigation of fractality that seems to be caused by packet loss induced by propagation impairments. The overall effect is a mitigation of fractal characteristics on the output traffic