A QoS Estimation-Based Scheduler for Real-Time Traffic in IEEE 802.11e Mobile Ad hoc Networks

For mobile ad hoc networks, the IEEE 802.11e standard specification provides Quality of Service (QoS) facility support in the MAC layer by Enhanced Distribution Channel Access (EDCA), which provides differentiated and distributed access to the wireless medium with four access categories (AC). It works efficiently for constant bit rate (CBR) types of traffic; however, for the case of variable bit rate (VBR) types of traffic, it shows poor performance due to the static nature of computing the number of packets and the time required to transmit these packets. In this paper, we present an EDCA scheduling algorithm that allocates transmission opportunities (TXOP) for fluctuating VBR traffic depending on their queue length estimations for mobile ad hoc networks. We classify the channel state as good or bad based on the channel error conditions. Then the scheduler determines the mean application data rate and estimates the TXOP for the next interval on the same Traffic Stream (TS). By simulation results, we show that the proposed scheduling scheme achieves good throughput and fairness with reduced delay for the VBR traffic class.