Host Based Dynamic Throughput Maximization Model for IEEE 802.11 WLAN

As the demand for uninterrupted Internet access grows, the popularity of wireless communication increases. However, wireless communication has some problems compared to conventional wired communication. Especially, if widely used Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) applications are taken into consideration, it becomes an important issue to balance the load among available access points. It is impossible to balance the load when wireless hosts associate with an access point by using the classical approach of Received Signal Strength Index (RSSI). Some solutions containing a central server, requiring a specific brand of access point or protocol revisions have been proposed previously, but none of them has been favored as a generally accepted solution. In this study, a proposal which is central server free and requires no modifications to the existing infrastructure is presented. The proposed model is based on a dynamic determination of the least loaded access point to associate with, in order to balance load and maximize throughput.