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Improving WLAN Performance with RTS/CTS

August 13, 2002

As an optional feature, the 802.11 standard includes the RTS/CTS (Request to

Send/Clear to Send) function to control station access to the medium. Generally only the
more costly, high-end wireless LANs offer RTS/CTS in radio network interface cards
(NICs) and access points -- you won't find this on inexpensive home or SOHO products.
Through the proper use of RTS/CTS, you can fine-tune the operation of your wireless
LAN depending on the operating environment.

RTS/CTS in action
If you enable RTS/CTS on a particular station, it will refrain from sending a data frame
until the station completes a RTS/CTS handshake with another station, such as an
access point. A station initiates the process by sending a RTS frame. The access point
receives the RTS and responds with a CTS frame. The station must receive a CTS frame
before sending the data frame. The CTS also contains a time value that alerts other
stations to hold off from accessing the medium while the station initiating the RTS
transmits its data.

The RTS/CTS handshaking provides positive control over the use of the shared medium.
The primary reason for implementing RTS/CTS is to minimize collisions among hidden
stations. This occurs when users and access points are spread out throughout the facility
and you're finding a relatively high number of retransmissions occurring on the wireless
LAN.

Imagine there are two 802.11 end users (Station A and Station B) and one access point.
Station A and Station B can't hear each other because of high attenuation (e.g.,
substantial range), but they can both communicate with the same access point. Because
of this situation, Station A may begin sending a frame without noticing that Station B is
currently transmitting (or vice versa). This will very likely cause a collision between
Station A and Station B to occur at the access point. As a result, both Station A and
Station B would need to retransmit their respective packets, which results in higher
overhead and lower throughput.

If either Station A or Station B activates RTS/CTS, however, the collision will not
happen. Before transmitting, Station B would send a RTS and receive a CTS from the
access point. The timing value in the CTS (which Station A also receives) will cause
Station A to hold off long enough for Station B to transmit the frame. Thus, the use of
RTS/CTS reduces collisions and increases the performance of the network if hidden
stations are present.

Keep in mind, though, that an increase in performance using RTS/CTS is the net result
of introducing overhead (i.e., RTS/CTS frames) and reducing overhead (i.e., fewer
retransmissions). If you don't have any hidden nodes, then the use of RTS/CTS will only
increase the amount of overhead, which reduces throughput. A slight hidden node
problem may also result in performance degradation if you implement RTS/CTS. In this
case, the additional RTS/CTS frames cost more in terms of overhead than what you gain
by reducing retransmissions. Thus, be careful when implementing RTS/CTS.

RTS/CTS implementation tips

One of the best ways to determine if you should activate RTS/CTS is to monitor the
wireless LAN for collisions. If you find a large number of collisions and the users are
relatively far apart and likely out of range, then try enabling RTS/CTS on the applicable
user wireless NICs. You can activate the function by clicking "enable RTS/CTS"
somewhere in the user setup screens. You don't need to enable RTS/CTS at the access
point in this case. After receiving a RTS frame from a user's radio NIC, the access point
will always respond with a CTS frame.

Of course, keep in mind that user mobility can change the results. A highly mobile user
may be hidden for a short period of time, perhaps when you perform the testing, then
be closer to other stations most of the time. If collisions are occurring between users
within range of each other, the problem may be the result of high network utilization or
possibly RF interference.

After activating RTS/CTS, test to determine if the number of collisions is less and the
resulting throughput is better. Because RTS/CTS introduces overhead, you should shut it
off if you find a drop in throughput, even if you have fewer collisions. After all, the goal
is to improve performance.

The method for enabling RTS/CTS on access points is different than with NICs. For
access points, you enable RTS/CTS by setting a specific packet size threshold (0 -- 2347
bytes) in the user configuration interface. If the packet that the access point is
transmitting is larger than the threshold, it will initiate the RTS/CTS function. If the
packet size is equal to or less than the threshold, the access point will not kick off
RTS/CTS. Most vendors recommend using a threshold of around 500. The use of 2347
bytes effectively disables RTS/CTS for the access point.

In most cases, initiating RTS/CTS in the access point is fruitless because the hidden
station problem doesn't exist from the perspective of the access point. All stations
having valid associations are within range and not hidden from the access point. Forcing
the access point to implement the RTS/CTS handshake will significantly increase the
overhead and reduce throughput. Focus on using RTS/CTS in the NICs to improve
performance.