Association games in IEEE 802.11 wireless local area networks

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/T-WC.2008.071418

In 802.11 wireless networks, users associate with access points that can provide the best service quality. In this paper, we analyze the convergence and steady state performance of a practically well performing load-based user association scheme. The analysis is based on a novel game theoretical model, which extends the results on atomic congestion games. We prove the existence of and convergence to a Nash equilibrium for this game. The bounds on the efficiency of equilibrium compared to centralized optimum solutions are established under different system costs.