Managing 802.11n Adjacent-Channel Interference via Efficient Carrier Spacing in the 2.4-GHz Band

Abstract

The wide acceptance of the 802.ttn technology for provision of wireless local networks and the limited size of the 2.4-GHz band used by most of them have led to RF environments characterized by congestion and poor performance. Seeking to mitigate these effects, there has been interest in studying different frequency planning strategies in order to maximize the number of center frequencies available for 802.11n nodes while keeping the effects of adjacent channel interference at check. Inspired by this approach, this work explores via an extensive set of link-level simulations the trade-off between the different carrier spacing schemes and the maximum achievable bit rate in each of these scenarios, while quantifying the impact of such interference. Results point at the ratio of interferer power to desired signal power as a key factor in the choice of inter-carrier spacing.