Guaranteed access mode for downlink traffic over IEEE 802.11 WLANs

IEEE 802.11 networks present an unfairness problem between the downlink and uplink traffic, using the default settings of the Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA). In order to reduce this unfairness, the Access Point (AP) can adapt the standard parameters, but this is not enough. In this paper, we propose simple and efficient solutions, which are implemented at the AP, thus they are standard compatible and no modifications to the current hardware and protocol stacks are needed. These solutions aim at providing guaranteed access to the downlink traffic when the AP perceives the unfairness problem. Our simulation results show a reduction in the unfairness and an enhancement in network performance by reducing the frame collision probability.