To Poly or Not to Poly: QoS-Aware Multi-Path Networking

In today’s world of growing network demands, high data rate, reliability, and low delay are crucial for seamless user experiences. Multipath networking offers a possible solution by optimizing existing infrastructure, aggregating multiple – possibly different (heterogeneous) – connections (e.g., Wi-Fi, 3GPP-Cellular, Ethernet) into a single, efficient data stream. This is realized by distributing traffic across multiple paths, aiming to reduce the impact of bottlenecks. However – to the best of our knowledge – current solutions often require changing application sources or disrupt end-to-end control. This paper introduces a Multipath Function (MPF)-Gateway, built on our Contextual Hybrid Protocol for Multipath (CHYMP), which enhances network performance while keeping existing control mechanisms intact. By integrating an innovative Quality-of-Service (QoS) Manager, our gateway meets application-specific demands, making it ideal for diverse traffic in heterogeneous networks. With reconfigurable schedulers and low-latency options, CHYMP adapts to dynamic policies, offering a scalable and flexible solution for hybrid networks. The combination of our MPF-Gateway and CHYMP advances multipath systems, improving efficiency, stability, and adaptability with increased control in our comparison to alternative solutions.