Interference-aware power coordination game for ISM bands

Abstract

The use of wireless equipment in the alreadyovercrowded ISM bands had been further growing in recent years. This increase leads to high interference levels, which causes unstable communication and an average throughput reduction in heavily-used channels. This calls for more robust, interference-aware means of channel-access for Wi-Fi and similar wireless devices in ISM bands. In this paper, we propose a Game Theory (GT) based power allocation mechanism for IEEE 802.11 networks, which might incorporate some aspects of Cognitive Radio (CR) functionality. Up to now operation of 802.11 devices was constrained by regulations in terms of maximum transmission power, in order to limit the extent of interference from uncoordinated emissions. Our proposed mechanism, with its feasibility backed by the practical experimentation reported in this paper, would allow embracing lighter regulatory rules or complete abolition of power limits for unlicensed access in ISM bands. Moreover, our proposed concept of channel access based on power balancing game might also make unnecessary the use of CSMA/CA protocol.