Scaling multi-user MIMO WLANs: The case for concurrent uplink control messages

Oscar Bejarano, Sadia Quadri, Omer Gurewitz, Edward W. Knightly

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

    4 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    Downlink Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO) enables the simultaneous spatial sharing of the channel by multiple users to achieve a capacity gain over Single-Input Single-Output (SISO) systems. Unfortunately, the overhead required to enable multi-user MIMO is much higher than the overhead required for single-stream systems. Namely, for K users, collection of channel state information requires K transmission exchanges (i.e., O(K)) between the AP and users. Likewise, the MU-MIMO acknowledgement process also requires the same amount of exchanges, thus reducing the performance gains attained via simultaneous downlink transmission. In this paper, we design, implement, and experimentally evaluate Concurrent Uplink Control Messages (CUiC) to scale the MU-MIMO control information exchange process and improve the efficiency of 802.11ac-based MU-MIMO networks. Our key technique is the design of new channel sounding and acknowledgement mechanisms that enable multiple users to transmit their reverse-direction control messages (i.e., beamforming reports and acknowledgments) concurrently to the AP, in O(1) transmission slots. We implement CUiC and perform an extensive set of experiments and demonstrate throughput gains of more than 100% compared to 802.11ac.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publication2015 12th Annual IEEE International Conference on Sensing, Communication, and Networking, SECON 2015
    PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
    Pages238-246
    Number of pages9
    ISBN (Electronic)9781467373319
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 25 Nov 2015
    Event12th Annual IEEE International Conference on Sensing, Communication, and Networking, SECON 2015 - Seattle, United States
    Duration: 22 Jun 201525 Jun 2015

    Publication series

    Name2015 12th Annual IEEE International Conference on Sensing, Communication, and Networking, SECON 2015

    Conference

    Conference12th Annual IEEE International Conference on Sensing, Communication, and Networking, SECON 2015
    Country/TerritoryUnited States
    CitySeattle
    Period22/06/1525/06/15

    Keywords

    • Array signal processing
    • Channel estimation
    • Downlink
    • Interference
    • MIMO
    • Timing
    • Uplink

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Computer Networks and Communications
    • Instrumentation

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