WLAN 802.11ax Airtime Utilization Measurements

Published

February 19, 2025

Author(s)

Nadia Yoza Mitsuishi, Jason Coder, Yao Ma

Abstract

Due to the increasing demand for wireless services, the IEEE 802.11ax WLAN standard was released to enable improved performance, coverage, and spectrum efficiency. Given these advantages, its use has become more widespread in recent years, but measurements of how much airtime is occupied have yet to be published. We present airtime utilization measurements of 802.11ax in the 6 GHz band in different scenarios: various numbers of access points and clients, and in MIMO and SISO configurations. The measurement setup is based on 802.11ax development boards and open-source software. We present a methodology based on physical-level measurements and compare the airtime utilization for different throughput values and bandwidths, for downlink and uplink traffic. The results show that higher bandwidths reduce the airtime utilization, MIMO reduces the 802.11ax airtime utilization by up to 36.2%, an additional client increases the airtime utilization by up to 23.9%, and mutually interfering 802.11ax networks increase the airtime utilization by up to 27.3%. This study provides useful guidelines in the context of wireless coexistence in the 6 GHz band and electromagnetic compatibility characterization of 802.11ax devices.

Proceedings Title

IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference

Conference Dates

March 24-27, 2025

Conference Location

Milan, IT

Pub Type

Conferences

Keywords

Airtime utilization, duty cycle, IEEE 802.11ax, MIMO, wireless coexistence measurements

Citation

Yoza Mitsuishi, N. , Coder, J. and Ma, Y. (2025), WLAN 802.11ax Airtime Utilization Measurements, IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference, Milan, IT (Accessed April 25, 2025)