GRaTIS: Sensing and Intelligence for Performance in the Presence of Legacy Networks

Recent work has examined techniques to estimate the "Best" modulation rate for data networks such as OFDM-based 802.11a/g. Each rate is effective in a range of Signal-to-Noise Ratios (SNRs) but the limited number of practical rates often force the transmitter to "Step down" to a lower data rate despite having higher SNR to the receiver. In this paper the authors describe, evaluate and implement a practical multiuser communication scheme that transmits two packets in the time normally needed to transmit a single packet, increasing aggregate throughput precisely when it is most needed - when the network is busy and suffers from rate unfairness.