Analysis of an IEEE 802.11 network activity during a small workshop

Understanding current performance and usage of IEEE 802.11 networks is valuable for effectively managing and deploying wireless networks in the future. This paper analyzes a wireless trace from NetGames'08 and compares the results with previous research. The analysis indicates increasing dominance of Web traffic, emerging p2p applications consuming significant uplink capacities, and differences in the overall volume and traffic patterns from prior wireless Internet traffic measurements. The workshop schedule greatly influences network usage with the number of people in the room significantly affecting the received signal strength.