Theory 048/Networks & Telecommunications
Wi-Fi Loss Is Airtime Share
The claim
Wi-Fi contention loss is set by the ratio of offered airtime to available airtime rather than by the number of stations.
01The mechanism
Throughput depends on how much channel time each station can claim, so many idle stations cost little while few busy ones cost a lot.
02Predictions
- P1Loss should track airtime share.
- P2Station count should predict poorly at low load.
03Refutation
Loss tracking station count would remove the airtime term.