Directional Antenna Based Performance Evaluation of 802.11 Wireless Local Area Networks

In this paper, the use of directional antennae on access points in wireless local area networks to sectorize the coverage area is proposed. This is shown to be a simple way to significantly increase throughput while greatly reducing the occurrence of the hidden terminal problem. First, we discuss the current use of sectorization in various wireless networks, including cellular and ad hoc networks. Then, we present the details of the proposed architecture, describing the necessary enhancements to the current Access Point functionality and examining the tradeoffs of costs and infrastructure. Finally, we carry out a performance analysis to demonstrate the marked increase in throughput and efficiency achieved by the new technique.