Capacity gains from multi-relay cooperation in loosely synchronized IEEE 802.11 WLANs

Determine how multi-relay cooperative physical-layer techniques, such as distributed space-time coding, can be employed to deliver significant network capacity gains in loosely synchronized IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs.

Background

The paper motivates its design by noting that, while employing multiple relays at the physical layer (e.g., via distributed space-time coding) can improve reliability, translating these techniques into substantial capacity gains within IEEE 802.11 networks is challenging due to loose synchronization and practical MAC-layer constraints.

This uncertainty frames the development of STiCMAC, a MAC protocol intended to integrate randomized distributed space-time coding into IEEE 802.11 and demonstrate capacity improvements. The quoted statement explicitly acknowledges the broader, still-unclear question of how to achieve significant capacity gains using multi-relay cooperation in such environments.