Performance Comparison Between Channel-Bonding and Multi-Channel CSMA

There arises a need to increase the network throughput by broadening the bandwidth. Currently, in IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN standardizations, two approaches are taken to effectively utilize multiple existing channels. One is multi-channel technique in which multiple separate frequency channels are used for communications as seen in IEEE 802.11s. The other is channel-bonding technique in which multiple frequency channels are bonded into a single broadband channel as seen in IEEE 802.11n. The former one can mitigate traffic congestion, while the latter one can increase the transmission rates. Here, in this paper, these two approaches are analytically compared and the advantages of the respective approach are clarified in terms of the network throughput and delay performances assuming the same total bandwidth and a CSMA protocol. Our numerical and simulation results indicate that under low-traffic conditions, using channel-bonding technique can achieve a low delay, while under high-traffic conditions, the performances of both throughput and delay can be improved by using multi-channel technique.