A measurement study of 802.11n links on commodity hardware

802.11n is one of the recently ratified drafts for wireless networks. We modify an open-source wireless card device driver and conduct a performance analysis study. We find by measurements that the currently implemented algorithm in the open source device driver fails to successfully converge to the best physical layer rate under the given channel conditions. Several metrics to study the patterns of error are devised and measurements are taken in an o ffice environment, at diff erent times of day, and in an anechoic chamber. We find that 802.11n, which uses MIMO, presents a peculiar nature of performance in indoor and anechoic chamber environments and presents some interesting challenges as well as opportunities for better rate control algorithm design