Delay analysis and improvement of IEEE 802.11e-based Soft-Real-Time Wireless Industrial Networks: Using an open-loop Spatial Multiplexing scheme

One of the main challenges in wireless industrial networks is the delay caused by shared, error-prone and non-deterministic behavior of wireless communication medium. In this paper, delay statistics of IEEE 802.11e prioritized MAC layer and the improvement caused by using a Spatial Multiplexing (SM) scheme for the IEEE 802.11e-based Soft-Real-Time Wireless Industrial Networks has been analyzed. Using this scheme, real-time traffic delay has been significantly reduced, compared with traditional IEEE 802.11e.