Experimental analysis of heterogeneous wireless networks

Packet loss and delay in Internet degrade the quality of requested services like VoIP (Voice over IP) or Video Streaming. In novel network scenarios where wired and wireless connections are melted together, a real measure of these parameters is fundamental in a planning process of new services over novel network infrastructures. Nowadays networks are heterogeneous in terms of access network technologies (wired LAN Ethernet 10/100/1000, Wireless LAN – 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g -, GPRS, UMTS, GSM, Bluetooth, ...), end-users’ devices (workstation, PC desktop, Laptop/Notebook, PDA, Advanced Mobile Phone, ...) and finally operating systems (Unix, Linux, Win 98/NT/2000/XP, Win CE, Linux Familiar, OS Embedded, ...). In this work we provide a heterogeneous network performance characterization with respect to delay and throughput in UDP and TCP environments. In order to determine our results we use an innovative traffic generator named D-ITG (Distributed Internet Traffic Generator). Results presented in this paper can be used as performance references for development of wireless communication applications over multiservice and heterogeneous networks.