Wireless Token Network
Firmware to improve the quality of service for data streaming of time sensitive services in Wireless Local Area Networks
With the increasing number of Voice over IP (VoIP) users, providing quality of service (QoS) for time-sensitive services (such as voice and video streaming) over wireless networks is fast becoming a problem. The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) has attempted to solve this problem by introducing the 802.11e wireless protocol which identifies those data packets that are time-sensitive by giving them transmission priority. While this provides network prioritisation for time sensitive data it restricts the number of users able to connect to the wireless network.
Researchers at ECU's Centre for Communications Engineering Research (CCER) have developed a firmware application referred to as Wireless Token Network (WTN) which ensures that each of the data connections have an equal chance of access, while ensuring that time-sensitive applications are given the access that they require. This is especially useful for voice over WLAN phones and wireless connections to the network that wish to use time-sensitive applications such as voice and video over IP (e.g., Skype). Globally there were over 80 million subscribers to VoIP services in 2007. A provisional US patent has been filed for the technology and further development is underway.