Requirements for Home Networking

1. Requirements for Home Networking Chris Ware, Eryk Dutkiewicz, Alistair Buttar Marc de Courville, Sebastien Simoens Motorola Contact: Eryk.Dutkiewicz@motorola.com

2. Overview • Current WLAN environment • Home Network environment • Requirements for NG – MAC • MAC/PHY Zero Configuration • How should WNG contribute to the development of 802.11

3. WLAN Application Environment • Many new WLAN applications are currently being proposed and developed • One significant area is the Home Network • Can WNG produce a PHY/MAC combination that is flexible, extensible and suitable for use in a future home network?

4. The Home Network 1/2 • Three types of home network: • Low bandwidth (command and control) • High bandwidth without QoS (Basic data) • High bandwidth with QoS (Multimedia / Entertainment) • Characteristics: • Many different types of devices • Guaranteed service levels required • Home networks will be installed by consumers not technicians • Easy to install, maintain and use • Must support large, not-trivial topologies including multiple wireless hops

5. Example Home Network Laptop Web Tablet 1394 Broadband Home Gateway – Cable / xDSL / Satelite 802.11a+e+g DVD and HDTV / Display 100BaseT AP Printer Audio Jukebox Home Plug

6. The Home Network 2/2 • 802.11 will be one of many technologies in the home • E.g. HomePlug, Ethernet, 1394, HomePNA, BT, 802.15.x • Each has different transmission rates, QoS mechanisms, target applications etc. • HDR will allow many new application opportunities in the home • Co-existence (fairness, efficiency) mechanisms with existing and future wireless standards will be required

7. MAC Requirements for High Rate PHY • Scalability • Increasing bandwidth applications • Higher rate PHY requires a more efficient MAC • Current MAC has large overhead • Integration of QoS has not been settled • Higher frequency PHY smaller cell size • Power Constraints • Battery powered handheld devices • Multiple Hops • Efficient channel access mechanism to support multiple hop networks • QoS in multihop scenarios

8. MAC Requirements for High Rate PHY • Hybrid ARQ • A tighter integration of MAC and PHY « see 02/312r0 » • HARQ can be combined with Link Adaptation • An optimized MAC can take advantage of HARQ • Memory requirements in STA need to be optimized • A TDD/TDMA approach seems appealing • Enables simpler QoS • Isochronous stream support • Challenge is to be able to combine centralized TDD/TDMA scheme with a multihop network while preserving QoS

9. MAC/PHY Requirements for Zeroconf • Zeroconf comprises two areas • MAC/PHY • Network and above • Higher layer Zeroconf is addressed by IETF • However, there are Zeroconf issues for the MAC/PHY to consider • MAC/PHY Zeroconf requires effective RF management techniques • Network detection • RF Interference management (Automatic Frequency Planning) • How does my WLAN interact with my neighbors? • Zeroconf security is also an important issue • The home user should not be forced to worry about MAC layer security issues

10. Conclusion • PHY and MAC must be upgraded in parallel to obtain the most out of HDR • The current MAC is not well equipped to exploit the very high bandwidth HDR will provide • WNG should lead to a MAC-NG as well as HDR-PHY • Issues for MAC-NG: • Overlapped BSS, RF Management • Scalability, efficiency, tighter PHY integration, multihop QoS • Support for Isochronous streams • Zero configuration • Security • We believe TDD/TDMA is the way to go