Self-Configuration for Wireless Local Area Networks

This paper concentrates on self-configuration in wireless local area networks (WLANs). As the growth of the stringent demand of heterogeneity and re-configurability in future wireless networks, the initial configuration is getting more and more complex, especially in WLANs. In order to minimize the complexity of the configuration of the new deployed AP, this paper focuses on two key issues of self-configuration, network condition awareness and corresponding configuration decision. By designing three neighboring AP discovery mechanisms, network condition could be promptly perceived. And then, with the obtained information of neighboring APs, self-configuration decisions are made based on analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and grey relational analysis (GRA) for mode configuration and channel selection. Benefiting from self-configuration, the complexity and the cost of both configuration and maintenance for WLANs are significantly reduced. A mass of simulations prove that self-configuration works well in increasing the network capacity and reducing the inter-network interference.