Wireless LAN performance in overlapping cells

In this paper we study the effect of overlapping cells on the performance of wireless LAN hot spots. Our results show that the MAC protocol defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard cannot guarantee spatial coexistence of multiple hot spots. We identify the reasons for the observed problems and propose a prioritization algorithm that can provide fairness in terms of average throughput and alternating medium access to all involved clients. Finally, we summarize the problems of implementing this approach in hot spots based on the 802.11b standard.