WiFox Router Software Could Potentially Ramp Up Wi-Fi by 700 Percent

By David Tobia
November 19, 2012

North Carolina State University researchers have developed software that could help improve Wi-Fi network throughput by 700 percent.
The technology, called WiFox, “monitors the network’s congestion and assigns an access point high priority when it accumulates a backlog of data,” writes Digital Trends. This allows networks to better handle high volumes of traffic, like when many people are accessing the same network at a coffee shop.
“In tests funded by the National Science Foundation, NCSU researchers found that WiFox led to performance improvements of 400 percent for a network with 25 users and 700 percent for a network of 45 users,” explains the post. “The tests also showed that the Wi-Fi network was able to respond to user requests four times faster on average than a network not using WiFox.”
The researchers will clarify details about WiFox next month at a conference sponsored by the Association of Computing Machinery.
“Most likely, the program has an algorithm that will allow it to quickly direct the flow of traffic,” speculates Digital Trends.
“Of course, the effect crowds have on a wireless network depends on how good your router is. Besides, if the Terahertz band investigated earlier this year by Japanese researchers ever becomes commonplace, Wi-Fi could be speedy enough that we won’t need wireless traffic cops.”

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