In order to grapple with the continuously increasing demand on the multimedia traffic over high speed wireless LAN, we need a QoS-oriented MAC for wireless multimedia system. The IEEE 802.11's PCF is an optional capability, which is connection-oriented, and provides contention-free service, but some papers have proved that it is not efficient when use PCF to transmit voice. And there are no any efficient bandwidth allocation scheme for more high bandwidth requirement source like video in PCF. In this thesis, we will propose a efficient centralized scheduled access MAC approach in IEEE 802.11 to satisfy heterogeneous traffic mix. There are two main algorithms to achieve the goal, queue management algorithm for downlink and uplink to satisfy video traffic's high bandwidth requirement, polling list management method enhance the efficiency of the polling scheme for transmitting voice traffic. We evaluate the system performance by the network simulator OPNET, we use the MPEG-1 and ITU G.711 PCM standard as the video and voice traffic . The result shows that the centralized scheduled access MAC approach we propose has excellent efficient and compelling performance.

Thesis (MScEng (Electrical and Electronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In recent years the demand for bandwidth has dramatically increased because of new applications for data and multimedia, and wireless technology has prevailed as a prominent technology for data connectivity, especially for home, office and last mile services. As wireless communications are dependant upon spectrum availability, which is communal, this scarce commodity in communication has to be used as efficiently as possible. Some aspects of this requirement are addressed in this project. We chose the IEEE 802.11b standard for this particular investigation because of its widespread use, the vast amount of applicable literature, the variety of software simulation tools and the ease with which equipment can be obtained. The IEEE 802.11 standard specified the Point Coordination Function as the de- terministic protocol. Recently research into this aspect has stagnated, and it was the purpose of this project to investigate how existing infrastructure networks could be improved by optimising some modes of the 802.11 protocol. The investigation also hoped to determine when to change between Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) and Point Coordination Function (PCF), and to provide an adaptive protocol to do so. This thesis presents mathematical models for the operation of DCF and PCF modes, which is compared with results from a network simulator (ns2), for theoretical veri- fication. A protocol is also proposed to dynamically switch between DCF and PCF, to harness the advantages they present. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die afgelope paar jaar het die aanvraag na bandwydte dramaties verhoog as gevolg van nuwe toepassings vir data en multimedia, en draadlose tegnologie het voorgekom as ’n dominante tegnologie vir data konnektiwiteit, veral vir die huis, kantoor en laaste myl dienste. Omdat draadlose kommunikasie afhanklik is van spektrum beskikbaarheid, wat gemeenskaplik is, moet hierdie skaars kommoditeit in kommunikasie so effektief moontlik gebruik word. Sekere aspekte van die vereiste sal in die tesis ondersoek word. Dit is besluit om die IEEE 802.11b standard vir die spesifieke ondersoek te gebruik as gevolg van die wye toepassing, die groot hoeveelheid beskikbare literatuur, die verskeidenheid simulasie sagteware en die gemak waarmee die toerusting bekom kan word. Die IEEE 802.11 standaard spesifiseer the Punt Koordinasie Funksie (PCF) as die deterministiese protokol vir die betrokke standaard. Onlangs het navorsing oor hierdie aspek gestagneer, en dit is die doel van die projek om te ondersoek hoe bestaande infrastruktuur netwerke moontlik verbeter kan word deur optimering van sekere modusse van die 802.11 protokol. Die ondersoek hoop ook om te bepaal wanneer die oorgang van die Distrubusie Koordinasie Funksie (DCF) en Punt Ko- ordinasie Funksie sal plaasvind, en om ’n dienooreenstemmende protokol te on- twikkel. Die tesis verskaf wiskundige modelle vir die werking van die DCF en PCF modusse, wat vergelyk word met resultate uit ’n netwerk simulator (ns2), vir teoretiese ver- ifikasie. ’n Protokol word ook voorgestel om dinamies te wissel tussen DCF and PCF, om die voordele wat die protokolle verskaf te gebruik.