Attention to Wi-Fi Diversity: Resource Management in WLANs With Heterogeneous APs

Many home networks integrate a small number (typically 2-4) of Wi-Fi Access Points (APs), with heterogeneous characteristics: different 802.11 variants, capabilities and security schemes. This paper proposes the consideration of these specific characteristics in order to improve the management of network resources. Three use cases are presented in order to showcase the potential benefits. By the use of a user-space AP, which works in coordination with a controller, the network is able to assign each connected station to the AP that best fits with its characteristics. The system also manages security, avoiding the need of adding specific elements for authentication, encryption or decryption. Extensions are proposed to an existing protocol that defines the communication between the AP and the controller, in order to communicate and store the specific characteristics of each AP and end device. This includes new association and handoff schemes that do not introduce any additional delay. The system has been implemented in a real environment, and a battery of tests has been run using three hardware platforms of different characteristics. The results show that handoffs between bands are possible, and estimate the processing delays, the Round-Trip Time and the handoff delay, which is small enough in order not to produce any significant disruption to the user (10-50 ms). Finally, the scenarios of interest have been replicated in a simulation environment, showing that significant benefits can be achieved if the specific characteristics of each AP and station are considered.