ART: Adaptive relay transmission for highly reliable communications in next-generation wireless LANs

The ongoing evolution of Wi-Fi technology has spurred the development of high-performance and highly efficient wireless networks. The recently introduced Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11bn standard aims to foster next-generation Wi-Fi technology, thereby ensuring ultra-high reliability by significantly enhancing data throughput, reducing latency, and minimizing power consumption. However, despite the expanding market for information technology products equipped with Wi-Fi and the escalating security risks associated with wireless local area networks, current standardization efforts fall short in bolstering security. This study proposes a transmission scheme in which a station discerns the security and latency requirements of packets and executes Adaptive Relay Transmission (ART). When low-latency transmission is imperative, the ART scheme resorts to a direct transmission approach using single-hop transmission. Conversely, when stringent security measures are warranted, it adopts a relay transmission scheme to minimize the risk of eavesdropping by transmitting packets with short hops. In scenarios necessitating both low latency and a high level of security, a transmission scheme is selected based on a comprehensive evaluation of data throughput, energy efficiency, and security, thereby enhancing the network reliability. Experimental results indicate that ART enhances the network energy efficiency by 13.1 times compared to the direct transmission scheme, which consistently employs direct packet transmission in a delay-tolerant network environment. Furthermore, it limits information leakage to the level of the relay packet transmission scheme, which utilizes multiple hops in a high-security threat environment. ART also boosts the network throughput environment by 212.4 % compared to the direct transmission scheme in a densely populated network and maintains link throughput even in scenarios affected by significant interference, thereby demonstrating effective interference mitigation. The experimental results underscore the efficacy of the ART model in mitigating strong interference and addressing security threats in high-density wireless sensor networks.