WiCell: Multipath-Enabled Application-Transparent Enhancement for Hybrid Wireless Networks

Mobile devices’ multiple network interfaces create the foundation for multipath optimization, yet widespread implementation remains challenging. Existing multipath solutions primarily rely on simulation environments or require hardware/software adaptations, limiting real-world adoption. Meanwhile, 89.8% of mobile users prefer WiFi over cellular networks due to data cost concerns, despite cellular networks often providing better stability. We propose WiCell, an application-transparent multipath enhancement system for mobile networks that addresses these challenges through: (1) a deployment-friendly approach requiring no hardware or software modifications; (2) a tunneling-based architecture with edge proxy servers that dynamically adjusts transmission based on real-time link condition feedback; and (3) two operational modes tailored to different user requirements - WiFi-Primary Adaptive Redundancy Mode for balanced performance and data conservation, and Dual Transmission Mode for maximum connection stability. Our comprehensive evaluation demonstrates WiCell’s effectiveness across 30 common applications. In WiFi-Primary Adaptive Redundancy Mode, WiCell achieves a 74.6% reduction in video stalling rate while consuming only 22.12% of the cellular data compared to full redundancy approaches. In Dual Transmission Mode, WiCell reduces maximum latency by 77.4% compared to WiFi-only transmission, with 61.36% lower average latency than WiFi and 65.84% lower than cellular-only connections. These results validate WiCell as a practical solution for enhancing wireless network performance while maintaining application transparency and addressing user concerns about cellular data consumption.