WLAN 802.11ax Airtime Utilization Measurements

We present airtime utilization measurements of the IEEE 802.11ax WLAN in the 6 GHz band in different scenarios: various numbers of access points and clients, and in MIMO and SISO configurations. The measurement setup is based on 802.11ax development boards and open-source software. We present a methodology based on physical-level measurements and compare the airtime utilization for different throughput values and bandwidths, for downlink and uplink traffic. The results show that higher bandwidths reduce airtime utilization, MIMO reduces airtime utilization by up to 36.2 %, an additional client increases airtime utilization by up to 23.9 %, and mutually interfering 802.11ax networks increase airtime utilization by up to 27.3 %. This study provides useful guidelines for researchers and policymakers in the context of wireless coexistence in the 6 GHz band and electromagnetic compatibility characterization of 802.11ax devices.