IEEE 802.11/Wi-Fi Medium Access Control: An Overview

In order to understand and analyze the interactions between U-LTE and Wi-Fi when sharing the 5 GHz frequency band, knowledge of the architectures and medium access control (MAC) mechanisms currently adopted by these two technologies is required. This chapter focuses on the Wi-Fi technology and begins with an overview of the evolution of IEEE 802.11/Wi-Fi. Five existing generations, as well as the next generation, of IEEE 802.11/Wi-Fi are presented. The majority of this chapter provides the underlying ideas and detailed mechanisms of the CSMA/CA MAC protocol. Important observations on how CSMA/CA senses and occupies the radio medium when the LTE network is operating in the vicinity are highlighted.