Predictive Network Control and Throughput Sub-Optimality of Max Weight

We present a novel control policy, called Predictive Network Control (PNC) to control wireless communication networks on packet level, based on paradigms of Model Predictive Control (MPC). In contrast to common myopic policies, who use one step ahead prediction, PNC predicts the future behavior of the system for an extended horizon, thus facilitating performance gains. We define an advanced system model in which we use a Markov chain in combination with a Bernoulli trial to model the stochastic components of the network. Furthermore, we introduce the algorithm and present two detailed simulation examples, which show general improved performance and a gain in stability region compared to the standard MaxWeight policy.