Battle of the Bands: A Long-Term Analysis of Frequency Band and Channel Distribution Development in WLANs
In this article, we present the results of a long-term analysis of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) frequency band and channel distribution development. To the best of our knowledge, no similar research has been published in recent academic publications. Overcrowding of the limited frequency space...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IEEE
2022-01-01
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| Series: | IEEE Access |
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| Online Access: | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9793689/ |
| _version_ | 1818465662197039104 |
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| author | Saku Lindroos Antti Hakkala Seppo Virtanen |
| author_facet | Saku Lindroos Antti Hakkala Seppo Virtanen |
| author_sort | Saku Lindroos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this article, we present the results of a long-term analysis of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) frequency band and channel distribution development. To the best of our knowledge, no similar research has been published in recent academic publications. Overcrowding of the limited frequency space on the 2.4 GHz band has become a significant issue in WLAN networking. Due to the overabundance of devices operating at 2.4 GHz, avoiding network performance degrading interference has become impossible in densely populated environments. Although the latest 802.11 WLAN standard amendments have emphasised the wider and less congested 5 GHz band, the 2.4 GHz band has stayed as the dominant frequency band. To observe the evolvement of WLAN frequency band and channel utilisation, data collected on nine WLAN surveys conducted between May 2019 and January 2022 was analysed. Furthermore, a simple linear regression model was produced to forecast the future development of WLAN frequency band utilisation. It was hypothesised that there would be an increase in 5 GHz frequency band utilisation as devices compliant with the latest 802.11 standard amendments become widely adopted. The survey results show a significant increase in 5 GHz frequency band utilisation. While the number of networks operating at 2.4 GHz saw a modest 42% increase, the number of networks operating at 5 GHz more than doubled during the survey period. At the end of the study, 35% of all detected networks operated at 5 GHz, compared to 25% at the beginning of the study. Based on the produced linear regression model, the portion of 5 GHz networks in the survey area is expected to reach the level of 2.4 GHz networks by the autumn of 2025. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T20:48:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-faf2f075fb124360a59e7982f4dda730 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2169-3536 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T20:48:36Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | IEEE |
| record_format | Article |
| series | IEEE Access |
| spelling | doaj.art-faf2f075fb124360a59e7982f4dda7302022-12-22T02:30:36ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362022-01-0110614636147110.1109/ACCESS.2022.31820119793689Battle of the Bands: A Long-Term Analysis of Frequency Band and Channel Distribution Development in WLANsSaku Lindroos0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4824-3733Antti Hakkala1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0932-7814Seppo Virtanen2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9487-3018Department of Computing, University of Turku, Turku, FinlandDepartment of Computing, University of Turku, Turku, FinlandDepartment of Computing, University of Turku, Turku, FinlandIn this article, we present the results of a long-term analysis of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) frequency band and channel distribution development. To the best of our knowledge, no similar research has been published in recent academic publications. Overcrowding of the limited frequency space on the 2.4 GHz band has become a significant issue in WLAN networking. Due to the overabundance of devices operating at 2.4 GHz, avoiding network performance degrading interference has become impossible in densely populated environments. Although the latest 802.11 WLAN standard amendments have emphasised the wider and less congested 5 GHz band, the 2.4 GHz band has stayed as the dominant frequency band. To observe the evolvement of WLAN frequency band and channel utilisation, data collected on nine WLAN surveys conducted between May 2019 and January 2022 was analysed. Furthermore, a simple linear regression model was produced to forecast the future development of WLAN frequency band utilisation. It was hypothesised that there would be an increase in 5 GHz frequency band utilisation as devices compliant with the latest 802.11 standard amendments become widely adopted. The survey results show a significant increase in 5 GHz frequency band utilisation. While the number of networks operating at 2.4 GHz saw a modest 42% increase, the number of networks operating at 5 GHz more than doubled during the survey period. At the end of the study, 35% of all detected networks operated at 5 GHz, compared to 25% at the beginning of the study. Based on the produced linear regression model, the portion of 5 GHz networks in the survey area is expected to reach the level of 2.4 GHz networks by the autumn of 2025.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9793689/IEEE 80211interferencewardrivingwireless LANwireless networking |
| spellingShingle | Saku Lindroos Antti Hakkala Seppo Virtanen Battle of the Bands: A Long-Term Analysis of Frequency Band and Channel Distribution Development in WLANs IEEE Access IEEE 80211 interference wardriving wireless LAN wireless networking |
| title | Battle of the Bands: A Long-Term Analysis of Frequency Band and Channel Distribution Development in WLANs |
| title_full | Battle of the Bands: A Long-Term Analysis of Frequency Band and Channel Distribution Development in WLANs |
| title_fullStr | Battle of the Bands: A Long-Term Analysis of Frequency Band and Channel Distribution Development in WLANs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Battle of the Bands: A Long-Term Analysis of Frequency Band and Channel Distribution Development in WLANs |
| title_short | Battle of the Bands: A Long-Term Analysis of Frequency Band and Channel Distribution Development in WLANs |
| title_sort | battle of the bands a long term analysis of frequency band and channel distribution development in wlans |
| topic | IEEE 80211 interference wardriving wireless LAN wireless networking |
| url | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9793689/ |
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