802.11g packet-loss behavior at high sustained bit rates in the home

802.11g is a popular way to transmit data throughout homes wirelessly. However, common broadcast-quality video bitrates, up to 20 Megabits per second, represent difficult challenges for wireless networks in terms of latency, packet loss, and packet jitter. An in-home network was sampled between 0.5 and 2 Megabits per second (Mbps) and analyzed with respect to packet loss. Our experimental results indicate that the distribution of the number of consecutive error bursts is a combination of the classical Gilbert-Elliot model and a long-tail model.