Web traffic performance in wireless LAN hot spots

Wireless Internet access is gaining more and more attraction with the ongoing introduction of wireless LAN hot spots. In this article the interaction of typical Web traffic and the wireless LAN medium access control protocol is evaluated. The focus lies on the user-experienced quality received in different scenarios and varying cell loads. We also include the effects of the RTS/CTS and fragmentation mechanisms, which were introduced to overcome performance degradation problems that are specific for wireless environments, such as the hidden node problem. The results provide insights on the advantages and deficiencies of these mechanisms and allow conclusions about the user-experienced performance of Web users in hot spot environments. We thereby build the foundation for the capacity planning of WLAN hot spots as part of the future 4th generation mobile networks.