Case Project 7-2: HCCA

HCF Controlled Channel Access (HCCA) is a wireless media access method that uses a QoS-aware centralized coordinator known as a hybrid coordinator (HC), which operates differently than the point coordinator in a PCF network. The HC is built into the AP and has a higher priority of access to the wireless medium. Using this higher priority level, it can allocate TXOPs to itself and other stations to provide a limited-duration controlled access phase (CAP), providing contention-free transfer of QoS data. The specific details of this process are beyond the scope of the CWNA exam. As with PCF, as of this writing we do not know of any vendor that has implemented HCCA. The 802.11e amendment defines enhanced medium access methods to support QoS requirements. Hybrid Coordination Function (HCF) is an additional coordination function that is applied in an 802.11e QoS wireless network. HCF has two access mechanisms to provide QoS. Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) is an extension to DCF. The EDCA medium access method will provide for the prioritization of frames based on upper-layer protocols. Application traffic such as voice or video will be transmitted in a timely fashion on the 802.11 wireless medium, meeting the necessary latency requirements. Hybrid Coordination Function Controlled Channel Access (HCCA) is an extension of PCF. HCCA gives the access point the ability to provide for prioritization of stations. In other words, certain client stations will be given a chance to transmit before others. Much like PCF, the HCCA medium access method defined by 802.11e has never been adopted by WLAN vendors.