Packet loss reduction function for multicast transmission on WLAN systems

Abstract

This paper proposes an access control protocol method for multicast transmission to reduce packet loss caused by collisions and/or interferences in WLAN (wireless local area network) systems. Multicast transmission may achieve effective bandwidth use because packets are delivered to more than one mobile station simultaneously in single transmissions. However, because multicast transmission does not have a retransmission function, the communication quality deteriorates by packet collision and interference waves from other systems. The proposed method avoids both these issues. It is validated by a simulation showing multicast packet loss reduction of about 20% and a higher multicast throughput improvement compared to conventional methods, in an environment with traffic congestion and interference waves.