Distributed coordination function: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 17:44, 16 October 2013

Revision as of 05:56, 2 December 2013

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DCF is defined in subclause 9.2 of the IEEE 802.11 standard and is the de facto default setting for Wi-Fi hardware.

802.11 DCF consumes a significant amount of airtime, 802.11 control messages usually convey very little information. For example, an ACK message can take up to 60 μs to transmit completely, which includes an amount of airtime sufficient to transmit 3240 bits at 54 Mbps, during which it conveys a single bit of relevant information.

The IEEE 802.11 standard also defines an optional access method using a [[Point Coordination Function]] (PCF). PCF allows the [[Wireless access point|access point]] acting as the network coordinator to manage channel access. The [[IEEE 802.11e]] amendment to the standard enhances the DCF and the PCF, through a new coordination function called Hybrid Coordination Function (HCF).