Interchannel interference model in IEEE 802.11 networks for the task of traffic capacity estimation

Abstract

Wi-Fi networks now increasingly represent high-density networks in two senses. On the one hand, they are a high-density user deployment, and on the other hand, they are a large number of networks themselves deployed in the confined area. Therefore, one of the most pressing problems in the simulation, engineering and diagnosis of Wi-Fi networks for various purposes is the interchannel interference from foreign networks of the same technology, due to its negative impact on the network target cell. The reason for this is the inability of the receiver to identify the interference as an 802.11 network signal, which results in the degradation of the signal to noise ratio for the network target cell. One of models for noise-generating signals’ attenuation is examined in this paper and a calculation method is proposed for the average attenuation of extraneous signals depending on the distribution type of the noise source in the coverage area. Further, the author proposes the interchannel interference model that enables to obtain the total noise spectrum and to assess the amount of its impact on the target channel. The main result of the research work is the model of signal-to-noise ratio degradation because of interchannel interference, assuming that the frequency and area planning of the target network is performed perfectly, i.e. there is no channel interference. The proposed quantitative estimates enable to solve the estimation problem of objectively accessible signal-to-noise ratio for the target network, which is relevant to the current design practice. As a result, it becomes possible to make a more accurate calculation of the estimated performance of the designed network at the predictive modeling stage.