Optimizing Packet Transmission Scheduling for Enhanced Web QoE in Wireless LAN

This paper presents a method of optimized packet transmission for better user experience in browsing a Web page in 802.11 wireless LAN environment. Everywhere we usually use mobile devices connected to wireless LAN in browsing Web pages. However the Quality of Experience (QoE) of Web browsing becomes worse as more people use more mobile devices in wireless LAN with limited bandwidth. The authors have developed a strategy in packet transmission scheduling for enhanced Web QoE. The strategy prioritizes transmission of the top part of a Web to other parts in the page, so that the browser can show an outline of the page at a glance as fast as possible. Prioritization of packet transmission is triggered by detecting the initial 3-way handshake at TCP connection establishment. Prioritization is done in controlling transmission timing both at the mobile device, in changing CW (Contention Window) dynamically, and at the access point, in priority queuing. Evaluation of the proposed method has been done in 2 steps. Analysis of transmission time of each packet is done by the NS-2 network simulator. Evaluation of Web QoE is done by measuring the time in data transfer and rendering for some typical existing Web pages. An experimental result shows the proposed method decreases the total time at 47 percent maximally.