Cisco Systems, Inc.
Spatial reuse (SR) optimization in wireless networks using sensor nodes and actual packet collision measurements

Abstract:

In one illustrative example, a device configured for use in a wireless local area network (WLAN) may cause a spatial reuse (SR) adjustment to be performed based on data received from a multi-user receiver procedure for the blind detection and demodulation of colliding packets from multiple stations. This procedure may be performed by one or more access points (APs) and/or distributed sensor nodes, each having such a multi-user receiver. The procedure may involve receiving and decoding, over a channel, a first spatial stream from a first device of a first base service set (BSS) color; simultaneously receiving and decoding, over the channel, a second spatial stream from a second device of a second BSS color (i.e. an overlapping BSS or "OBSS"); and calculating a signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) based on signal levels associated with the streams. The SR adjustment may involve adjusting an OBSS Packet Detect (PD) (OBSS-PD) threshold.