Interference in Large Wireless Networks

Since interference is the main performance-limiting factor in most wireless networks, it is crucial to characterize the interference statistics. The two main determinants of the interference are the network geometry (spatial distribution of concurrently transmitting nodes) and the path loss law (signal attenuation with distance). For certain classes of node distributions, most notably Poisson point processes, and attenuation laws, closed-form results are available, for both the interference itself as well as the signal-to-interference ratios, which determine the network performance.

This monograph presents an overview of these results and gives an introduction to the analytical techniques used in their derivation. The node distribution models range from lattices to homogeneous and clustered Poisson models to general motion-invariant ones. The analysis of the more general models requires the use of Palm theory, in particular conditional probability generating functionals, which are briefly introduced in the appendix.