802.11 Application Framework Supports Full-Duplex Communication with Real-Time Bandwidth Up to 80MHz

National Instruments announced that it supports the MAC layer for the LabVIEW Communications 802.11 Application Framework.

When wireless researchers leverage this new multi-user MAC layer enhancement capability for the 802.11 Application Framework and move beyond the PHY layer, they can address complex network-level issues that must be resolved to realize the 5G vision.

With 5G, unprecedented services and diverse use cases such as autonomous vehicles, smart factories, and remote healthcare will emerge. While most of these applications are delivered through mobile communication links, many applications are also provided through Wi-Fi-based private networks. In 5G, protocols for both licensed and unlicensed spectrum bands will be combined.

To provide Wi-Fi and 5G cellular services in a more optimized manner, wireless researchers must address numerous challenges. One of them is 5G network slicing performance, which seamlessly provides end-to-end coordination across diverse radio access technologies. By pairing the 802.11 Application Framework with NI software-defined radio hardware, wireless researchers can rapidly conduct network-level, real-time, over-the-air (OTA) prototyping experiments for diverse Wi-Fi and 5G MAC/PHY research.

Additionally, the 802.11 Application Framework supports real-time bandwidth up to 80MHz and full-duplex communication, and includes MAC layer functions such as CSMA/CA, RTS, CTS, NAV, and retransmission. Since the MAC layer is implemented based on FPGA, the 802.11 Application Framework meets the stringent timing requirements of the 802.11 technical specification, constituting a perfect real-time solution. Through these new capabilities, users can utilize the 802.11 Application Framework to conduct diverse Wi-Fi experiments. Additionally, in a much shorter time compared to other approaches, custom signal processing algorithms and MAC layer protocols can be perfectly integrated.

Wireless researchers at Texas A&M University in the United States, participating in NI's RF/Communications Lead User Program, use NI's flexible prototyping solution to implement and validate new MAC layer algorithms. These algorithms can enhance the performance of Wi-Fi, WiGig, and 5G protocol stacks operating in the unlicensed spectrum band.

P. R. Kumar, IEEE member and Dean of the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University, stated, "The efficiency of MAC protocols is critical to wireless network performance," and added, "Our research team has continuously studied MAC protocols to accommodate increasingly dense wireless deployments while meeting system performance requirements for next-generation wireless networks. However, for these protocols to gain credibility, they must be implemented in hardware. NI's 802.11 Application Framework provides the tools necessary to experimentally validate the performance of MAC protocols under real-world conditions."