Abstract. The throughput capacity of WLANs can be improved by a carefully designed relay infrastructure. In this work, we propose an optimization formulation based on Lagrangian relaxation and a subgradient algorithm to compute the best placement of a fixed number of relay nodes (RNs) in a WLAN. We apply this optimization framework to a multi-rate WLAN based on the IEEE 802.11g standard under Rayleigh fading. We then study the expected throughput capacity of a WLAN with relay infrastructure and investigate how the optimal placement of RNs is affected by the number of RNs, path-loss characteristics, and the traffic pattern. Our numerical results show that, in some network scenarios, more than 120 % performance gain can be achieved when RNs are strategically installed in the network. Furthermore, we also show that for a wide range of system parameters, optimally placed RNs can significantly increase the network throughput capacity over random placement. Key words: WLAN, immobile relays, throughput capacity, optimal placement 1

With the proliferation of wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies, wireless Internet access via public hotspots will become a necessity in the near future. In outdoor areas where the installation of a large number of wired access points is practically or economically infeasible, mobile users located at the edge of the network communicate with the access point at a very low rate and in turn waste network resources. In this work, we promote the use of tetherless relay points (TRPs) to improve the throughput of a WLAN in such environments. We first provide a high level description on how to integrate TRPs in a multi-rate WLAN architecture. We then propose an integer-programming optimization formulation and an iterative approach to compute the best placement of a fixed number of TRPs. Finally, we show in numerical analysis, through a case study based on relay-enabled rate adaptation and IEEE 802.11-like multi-rate physical model with Rayleigh fading, that for a wide range of system parameters, significant performance gain can be achieved when TRPs are strategically installed in the network.

To make the WiMAX Point-to-Multi-Point (PMP) systems more competitive and applicable to the future metropolitan area networking scenarios, deploying relay stations (RSs) as defined in IEEE 802.16j has been considered a promising solution that can replace the 802.16e mesh mode for coverage extension and throughput enhancement. In this paper, we are committed to tackle the task of RS placement and relay time allocation in IEEE 802.16j Mobile Multi-hop Relay (MMR) networks, in order to meet the uneven distributed traffic demand of each subscriber station (SS) as well as the thirst for system capacity. By incorporating advanced cooperative relaying technology such as Decode-Forward (D-F) or Compress-Forward (C-F), the task of RS placement and relay time allocation is formulated into an optimization problem, aiming at finding the optimal location of a single RS and the resource allocation for all the SSs. Numerical analysis is conducted through a number of case studies to demonstrate the performance gain by using the proposed approach for relay placement and relay time allocation.

The demand for hybrid networking, in which different access technologies are integrated to support mobile networking, has witnessed significant increase recently. One major challenge in hybrid networking is vertical handoff provisioning. In this paper a mobility-based network planning optimization for hybrid networks is proposed. The optimization objective is to minimize the rate of up-going vertical handoff events and to maximize the total number of users supported by the network. The optimal placement of APs with respect to these two objectives is formulated as an integer programming problem. Our results show that considering the mobility pattern in the planning phase of network deployment can significantly improve the infrastructure performance.