FLBA: A fuzzy algorithm for load balancing in IEEE 802.11 networks

Wireless networks (WNs) are today used in many areas thanks to several benefits deriving from the ease of installation and maintenance and the high scalability. Moreover, continuing advances in technology have led to the development of low cost devices characterized by always increasing performance. In large areas, the coverage is guaranteed by the presence of Access Points (APs) that are responsible for clients' connection. Performance of a large wireless network, covered by several APs, mainly depends on load balancing management policies. An overloaded access point may, in fact, compromise requirements in terms of timeliness of information exchanged among the clients. This paper proposes a load balancing technique for IEEE 802.11 networks based on fuzzy logic in order to ensure the achievement of typical Quality of Service (QoS) constraints that characterize a wireless scenario. To validate the goodness of the proposed approach, several real test-bed scenarios were implemented and many QoS parameters were evaluated. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.