An Inter-Access Point Coordination Protocol for Dynamic Channel Selection in IEEE802.11 Wireless LANs*

This paper presents and evaluates an Inter-Access Point Coordination protocol for dynamic channel selection in IEEE 802.11 WLANs. It addresses an open issue for the implementation of many distributed and centralized dynamic channel selection policies proposed to mitigate interference problems in Wireless LANs (WLANs). The presented protocol provides services to a wide range of policies that require different levels of coordination among APs by enabling them to actively communicate and exchange information. An Intra-Cell protocol that enables interaction between the AP and its accommodated stations to handle channel switching within the same cell is also presented.