Inter-Access point communications for distributed resource management in 802.11 networks

Due to the increasing number of IEEE 802.11 networks, the presence of interference is becoming an important problem to solve. In a single multicell network, the harmful effect of interference is minimized thanks to network planning; but if there are different wireless networks coexisting, which besides, belong to different owners, the presence of a distributed resource management mechanism becomes the best choice. A distributed management system involves communication among all participant devices. In the present paper two mechanisms are proposed: channel allocation algorithm and load balancing through cell breathing. The questions raised by these new communication needs are analyzed and also, different solutions are proposed based on a common idea: use of Access Points (APs) with two radio interfaces adopting ad-hoc networking mechanisms for inter-AP signaling purposes.