Characterisation of Internet Traffic in Wireless Networks

Wireless connection technologies provide users (Internet Protocol) IP network access without the physical hardware connection of the wired networks. One of the applications of these technologies is the Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), which is based on the IEEE802.11x Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) standard and is widely deployed as a flexible extension to data network or an alternative for the wired Local Area Network (LAN). In this context, the design, control and performance analysis of future wireless networks requires the study and credible characterisation of WLAN traffic. This tutorial presents measurements and analytic studies of IP traffic in a WLAN environment. Moreover, an investigation is reported into the characterisation on protocol distribution and modelling of IP packet inter-arrival times.