WMM

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[edit] Introduction

WMM (Wireless MultiMedia extensions) is part of the 802.11e standard and enabled by default since it is required for 802.11n networks to be able to reach their maximum throughput.

The "QoS field" refers to a specific part of the 802.11 frame header that indicates the priority level of a data packet, allowing for different traffic types like voice, video, and background data to be prioritized based on their assigned access category (AC) within the WMM standard; essentially, it's how a wireless device signals to the network which queue to place the packet in for processing based on its importance. Fields include:

  • Access Categories (ACs): WMM defines four access categories: Voice (highest priority), Video, Best Effort, and Background (lowest priority).
  • Mapping to Priority Values: Each AC is mapped to a specific priority value within the QoS field, allowing the network to differentiate between traffic types.
  • 802.1p Standard: The QoS field leverages the 802.1p standard for priority tagging, which is also used in wired networks.

Details for the QoS Field for WMM support since v23 SP1 firmware: original posting (see wiki History for permission details)

I noticed that DD-WRT for some time now has supported WMM (Wi-Fi Multimedia) on the QoS section, however there was no explanation on all the settings of what they all done. I have now compiled some info from numerous sites as to what each setting is. At the time of writing DDWRT v23 SP1 (02/Apr/2006) is the latest. no doubt the WMM Support panel on the QoS page will be updated somewhat to show some meaning of the abbreviations.

[edit] EDCA AP Parameters

This affects traffic flowing from the access point to the client station.
Queue Data Transmitted
AP to Clients
Priority Description
AC_BKBackground.LowHigh throughput. Bulk data that requires maximum throughput and is not time-sensitive is sent to this queue (FTP data, for example).
AC_BE Best Effort MediumMedium throughput and delay. Most traditional IP data is sent to this queue
AC_VIVideoHighMinimum delay. Time-sensitive video data is automatically sent to this queue
AC_VOVoiceHighTime-sensitive data like VoIP and streaming media are automatically sent to this queue


Configuring QoS options consists of setting parameters on existing queues for different types of wireless traffic. You can configure different minimum and maximum wait times for the transmission of packets in each queue based on the requirements of the media being sent. Queues automatically provide minimum transmission delay for Voice, Video, multimedia, and mission critical applications, and rely on best-effort parameters for traditional IP data.

As an example, time-sensitive Voice, Video, and multimedia are given effectively higher priority for transmission (lower wait times for channel access), while other applications and traditional IP data which are less time-sensitive but often more data-intensive are expected to tolerate longer wait times.

AC_VO queue is laso used for WMM Power Save, also called Unscheduled Automatic Power Save Delivery U-APSD. Only IP packets with ToS value 0xb8 DSCP Expedited Forwarding are buffered by AP, and waiting for other RTP packets from STA to be released.

[edit] EDCA AP Parameter Fields

CWmin - Minimum Contention Window. This parameter is input to the algorithm that determines the initial random backoff wait time ("window") for retry of a transmission. The value specified here in the Minimum Contention Window is the upper limit (in milliseconds) of a range from which the initial random backoff wait time is determined.

The first random number generated will be a number between 0 and the number specified here. If the first random backoff wait time expires before the data frame is sent, a retry counter is incremented and the random backoff value (window) is doubled. Doubling will continue until the size of the random backoff value reaches the number defined in the Maximum Contention Window.
Valid values for the "cwmin" are 1, 3, 7, 15, 31, 63, 127, 255, 511, or 1024. The value for "cwmin" must be lower than the value for "cwmax".

CWmax - Maximum Contention Window. The value specified here in the Maximum Contention Window is the upper limit (in milliseconds) for the doubling of the random backoff value. This doubling continues until either the data frame is sent or the Maximum Contention Window size is reached. Once the Maximum Contention Window size is reached, retries will continue until a maximum number of retries allowed is reached. Valid values for the "cwmax" are 1, 3, 7, 15, 31, 63, 127, 255, 511, or 1024. The value for "cwmax" must be higher than the value for "cwmin".

AIFSN - The Arbitration Inter-Frame Spacing Number specifies a wait time (in milliseconds) for data frames

TXOP(b) and TXOP (a/g) - Transmission Opportunity for "a" "b" and "g" modes is an interval of time when a WME AP has the right to initiate transmissions onto the wireless medium (WM). This value specifies (in milliseconds) the Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) for AP; that is, the interval of time when the WMM AP has the right to initiate transmissions on the wireless network.

[edit] EDCA STA Parameters

This affects traffic flowing from the client station to the access point.

Queue Data Transmitted
AP to Clients
Priority Description
AC_BK Background. Low High throughput. Bulk data that requires maximum throughput and is not time-sensitive is sent to this queue (FTP data, for example).
AC_BE Best Effort Medium Medium throughput and delay. Most traditional IP data is sent to this queue
AC_VI Video High Minimum delay. Time-sensitive video data is automatically sent to this queue
AC_VO Voice High Time-sensitive data like VoIP and streaming media are automatically sent to this queue

[edit] EDCA STA Parameters Fields

CWmin - Minimum Contention Window. This parameter is input to the algorithm that determines the initial random backoff wait time ("window") for retry of a transmission. The value specified here in the Minimum Contention Window is the upper limit (in milliseconds) of a range from which the initial random backoff wait time is determined.

The first random number generated will be a number between 0 and the number specified here. If the first random backoff wait time expires before the data frame is sent, a retry counter is incremented and the random backoff value (window) is doubled. Doubling will continue until the size of the random backoff value reaches the number defined in the Maximum Contention Window.
Valid values for the "cwmin" are 1, 3, 7, 15, 31, 63, 127, 255, 511, or 1024. The value for "cwmin" must be lower than the value for "cwmax".

CWmax - Maximum Contention Window. The value specified here in the Maximum Contention Window is the upper limit (in milliseconds) for the doubling of the random backoff value. This doubling continues until either the data frame is sent or the Maximum Contention Window size is reached. Once the Maximum Contention Window size is reached, retries will continue until a maximum number of retries allowed is reached. Valid values for the "cwmax" are 1, 3, 7, 15, 31, 63, 127, 255, 511, or 1024. The value for "cwmax" must be higher than the value for "cwmin".

AIFSN - The Arbitration Inter-Frame Spacing Number specifies a wait time (in milliseconds) for data frames

TXOP(b) and TXOP (a/g)</b> - Transmission Opportunity for "a" "b" and "g" modes is an interval of time when a WME Client Station has the right to initiate transmissions onto the wireless medium (WM). This value specifies (in milliseconds) the Transmission Opportunity (TXOP) for Client Station; that is, the interval of time when the WMM AP has the right to initiate transmissions on the wireless network.