Using Edge-Clouds to Reduce Load on Traditional WiFi Infrastructures and Improve Quality of Experience

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Date
2017
Authors
Pedro Pinto Silva
João Filipe Rodrigues
Joaquim Magalhães Silva
Rolando Martins
Luís Lopes
Fernando Silva
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Abstract
Crowd-sourcing the resources of mobile devices is a hot topic of research given the game-changing applications it may enable. In this paper we study the feasibility of using edge-clouds of mobile devices to reduce the load in traditional WiFi infrastructures for video dissemination applications. For this purpose, we designed and implemented a mobile application for video dissemination in sport venues that retrieves replays from a central server, through the access points in the WiFi infrastructure, into a smartphone. The fan's smartphones organize themselves into WiFi-Direct groups and exchange video replays whenever possible, bypassing the central server and access points. We performed a real-world experiment using the live TV feed for the Champions League game Benfica-Besiktas with the help of a group of volunteers using the application at the student's union lounge. The analysis of the logs strongly suggests that edge-clouds can significantly reduce the load in the access points at such large venues and improve quality of experience. Indeed, the edge-clouds formed were able to serve up to 80% of connected users and provide 56% of all downloads requested from within. © 2017 IEEE.
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