A Minimax Approach for Access-Point Setup Optimization Using Throughput Measurements in IEEE802.11n Wireless Networks

Abstract

Recently, an IEEE802.11n access point (AP) has become common in the wireless local-area network (WLAN) due to the high-speed data transmission using the multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technology. However, the signal propagation from the 802.11n AP may not be uniform in the circumferential direction because of multiple antennas in MIMO, in addition to the height direction. As a result, the data transmission speed between the AP and a host can be significantly affected by their relative setup conditions. In this paper, we propose a minimax approach for optimizing the 802.11n AP setup condition in terms of the height and the angles in an indoor environment using throughput measurements. First, we detect a bottleneck host that receives the weakest signal from the AP in the field using the throughput estimation model. Then, we optimize the AP setup by changing the height and directions while measuring throughputs. For evaluations, we confirm the accuracy of the model using measurement results and the throughput improvements at most hosts including the bottleneck one in the field by our approach.