An analysis of the influence of the threshold parameter on the IEEE 802.11 network performance

This paper presents a simulation analysis of the influence of the RTS-threshold parameter on the IEEE 802.11 network performance. The throughput and the mean frame delay as functions of the offered load for different RTS-threshold values and number of stations transmitting frames of a random size are studied. The optimal value of the RTS-threshold as a function of the number of contending stations is determined. This allows us to design an IEEE 802.11 network in such a way that can substantially improve its performance.