WLC29-1: Addressing the Link Adaptation Problem for VoWLAN using Codec Adaptation

In this paper a scheme is proposed to deal with congestion problems that can arise due to Link Adaptation (LA) in Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) in the presence of VoIP traffic. The proposed scheme operates by first determining if LA has resulted in the system becoming congested. If not, no further action is taken. However, if, LA has resulted in an overloaded system, the voice codec of the handset which has undergone LA is adapted so as to restore the system to its earlier state, thereby alleviating the congestion. This is achieved by specifically adapting the codec so as to maintain approximately the same level of medium usage as was used prior to the LA. The proposed scheme was evaluated on an experimental test-bed and results show that the codec adaptation was very effective at overcoming the problem of LA.