A Virtualization Architecture for Wireless Network Cards

There are a number of scenarios where it is desirable to have a wireless device connect to multiple networks simultaneously. Currently, this is possible only by using multiple wireless network cards in the device. Unfortunately, using multiple wireless cards causes excessive energy drain and consequent reduction of lifetime in battery operated devices. In my doctoral thesis I propose a software based approach, called MultiNet, which facilitates simultaneous connections to multiple networks by virtualizing a single wireless card. This architecture has a number of benefits, and in this talk I will talk about two of them: increasing the capacity of wireless multihop networks, and providing connectivity to disconnected wireless stations.