Dynamic rate and FEC adaptation for video multicast in multi-rate wireless networks

Abstract

Video multicast over Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) faces many challenges due to varying channel conditions and limited bandwidth. A promising solution to this problem is the use of packet level Forward Error Correction (FEC) mechanisms. However, the adjustment of the FEC rate is not a trivial issue due to the dynamic wireless environment. This decision becomes more complicated if we consider the multi-rate capability of the existing wireless LAN technology. In this paper, we propose a novel method which dynamically adapts the transmission rate and FEC for video multicast over multirate wireless networks. In order to evaluate the system experimentally, we implemented a prototype using open source drivers and socket programming. Our experimental results show that the proposed system significantly improves the multicast system performance.