Towards enhanced multicasting in software-defined Wi-Fi networks

Distributing multimedia content to numerous users via wireless networks is increasingly common. Still, traditional Wi-Fi networks face significant challenges in efficiently managing multitask traffic. These challenges involve limited data throughput for multicast streams and potential interference with other network services. This research includes enhanced multicasting in software-defined Wi-Fi networks (EMSD-Wi-Fi), a centralized approach to multicast management supporting software-defined networking (SDN) fundamentals. Furthermore, we introduce proof-of concept implementation of this methodology, illustrating its versatility and potential across a range of complex scenarios, including enterprise group communications, smart homes, smart health care and campus Wi-Fi networks. Performance evaluation through OMNeT++ demonstrate that the EMSD-Wi-Fi system achieves a 30% enhancement in transmission efficiency compared to conventional multicast schemes. Additionally, it achieved a reduction in channel occupancy times by almost 40% relative to direct multicast service (DMS) and legacy multicast approaches, attributable to optimized channel occupancy and advanced proactive mobility management strategies. This makes EMSD-Wi-Fi highly effective for static and mobile multicast services.