Soft-W-TSN: Extending Time-Sensitive Networking Capabilities to Wi-Fi using Virtualized Elements

Abstract

Industrial processes are becoming increasingly complex, demanding accurate monitoring and timely communication for process correction and optimization actions. Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) comprises a set of standards being developed by IEEE to enable reliable and bounded low-latency communication over Ethernet networks. These standards allow an operator to have more control over traffic prioritization and latency, and offer features to enhance network communication reliability. Extending such features to wireless networks is a natural step in achieving more flexible deployments and supporting use cases involving mobility. In this work, we present an architecture and proof-of-concept to support extending TSN capabilities to Wi-Fi deployments and to enable flexible deployments of WiFi access points tailored for different use cases. We show the experimental results with a testbed highlighting the main functionalities implemented to support an example use case.