Access Point Assignment Algorithms in WLANs Based on Throughput Objectives

In this paper, the authors present branch-and-bound algorithms for the access point assignment problem in WLANs, when the objective function is based on the throughput of stations in the network. They consider: maximizing the aggregate throughput, achieving lexicographically max-min fair throughputs, achieving proportionally fair throughputs. The performance of all branch-and-bound algorithms is examined for various degrees of approximation. Thus they show trade-offs between the increased cost of exploration and improvement in the objective value. They further compare their performance to that of greedy algorithms, embedded as a depth-first-search in the branch-and-bound methods.