Multipath Fading Effect on Spatial Packet Loss Correlation in Wireless Networks

Spatial packet loss correlation is important for error control protocols in wireless multicast and broadcast communications. This paper quantitatively studies the spatial packet loss correlation in 802.11 wireless networks using a series of experiments conducted in different environments with different impact of multipath fading on wireless links. It is found that environments with more multipath opportunities exhibit less spatial correlation. It is also observed that spatial correlation is strongly dependent on the packet reception rate. Based on the experimental data, an empirical model is proposed to estimate the level of spatial loss correlation as a function of packet reception rate. It is shown that the empirical model yields accurate estimates of spatial packet loss correlation for different environments.