[Nets-seminars] Last talk of term 12th June GS/302 4pm

[Richard G. Clegg]

Don't forget the last of our series of talks for this term -- Kyle Jamieson 
from CS will talk on "Overcoming the challenges of today's chaotic wireless 
data networks".  See you all there.


Today's wireless data networks enable and enhance an assortment of
applications such as video on demand, file backup, and voice
telephony.  And unlike mobile phone networks, they are almost
completely unplanned by any central authority.  When chaotic wireless
networks are stretched past its limits, users experience garbled
pictures, unavailable file servers, and voice glitches.  Why does this
happen?  There are two primary reasons: the highly dynamic nature of
the wireless channel, and the fundamentally shared nature of the RF
medium.  Using an expanded interface to the physical layer (PHY)
called the SoftPHY interface, I will describe how the PHY can pass
information up to higher layers, allowing bit rate adaptation to
better address the first challenge, and medium access control to
better address the second.  I will conclude with ongoing work on
adapting some of the tricks that mobile phone networks play to chaotic
wireless, highlighting the challenges involved.

Parts joint work with Hari Balakrishnan and Mythili Vutukuru.



-- 
Richard G. Clegg,
Dept of Elec. Eng.,
University College London
http://www.richardclegg.org/