Architecture and Experimental Framework for Supporting QoS in Wireless Networks Using Differentiated Services

This paper describes the design and implementation of an enhanced Differentiated Services (Diffserv) architectural framework for providing Quality of Service (QoS) in wireless networks. The Diffserv architecture has been recently proposed to complement the Integrated Services (Intserv) model for providing QoS in the wired Internet. The paper studies whether Diffserv, as defined for wired networks, is suitable for wireless networks. The proposed wireless Diffserv framework takes into consideration several factors, including signaling requirements, mobility, losses, lower wireless bandwidth and battery power constraints. It identifies the need for supporting signaling and mobility in wireless networks. The framework and mechanisms have been implemented in the wireless testbed at Washington State University. Experimental results from this testbed show the validity of the proposed Diffserv model and also provide performance analyses. The framework is also designed to be extensible so that other researchers may use our implementation as a foundation for implementing other wireless network algorithms and mechanisms.