Method and system for improving wireless link efficiency

1. A method of wireless link transmission, comprising:

receiving a number of packets for transmission, wherein each of the packets includes an original sequence number and an original traffic category indicator, and wherein the packets have non-continuous original sequence numbers and different original traffic category indicators;

aggregating the packets into an aggregate frame;

modifying each of the packets of the aggregate frame to generate a respective modified packet by including a virtual sequence number and a virtual traffic category indicator in a header of the respective modified packet, and including the original sequence number and the original traffic category indicator in a payload of the respective modified packet, wherein all the modified packets in the aggregate frame have the same virtual traffic category indicator and continuous virtual sequence numbers; and

transmitting the aggregate frame comprising the modified packets to a destination device through a wireless link.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless link is an IEEE 802.11 wireless link.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising monitoring a packet error rate for a respective original traffic category.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising duplicating, in the aggregate frame, a number of packets associated with the original traffic category for which the error rate is monitored, in response to the error rate surpassing a predetermined threshold.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein aggregating the packets into the aggregate frame involves aggregating at least one retransmission packet.

6. A method of wireless link transmission, comprising:

receiving an aggregate frame which comprises a number of modified packets, wherein each respective modified packet of the aggregate frame includes a virtual sequence number and a virtual traffic category indicator in the respective modified packet's header, and an original sequence number and an original traffic category indicator in the respective modified packet's payload, wherein all the modified packets in the aggregate frame have the same virtual traffic category indicator and continuous virtual sequence numbers;

de-aggregating the modified packets from the aggregate frame;

decapsulating all the modified packets; and

ordering the decapsulated packets based on their original sequence number and original traffic category indicator, wherein the decapsulated packets have non-continuous original sequence numbers and different original traffic category indicators.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the wireless link transmission involves an IEEE 802.11 wireless link.

8. A system of wireless link transmission, comprising:

a network protocol stack operable to receive a number of packets for transmission, wherein each of the packets includes an original sequence number and an original traffic category indicator, and wherein the packets have non-continuous original sequence numbers and different original traffic category indicators;

an aggregation release circuit operable to aggregate the received packets into an aggregate frame; and

a virtual sequence header encapsulation circuit operable to modify each of the packets of the aggregate frame to generate a respective modified packet by including a virtual sequence number and a virtual traffic category indicator in a header of the respective modified packet, and including the original sequence number and the original traffic category indicator in a payload of the respective modified packet, wherein all the modified packets in the aggregate frame have the same virtual traffic category indicator and continuous virtual sequence numbers; and

a transmitter operable to transmit the modified aggregate frame comprising the modified packets to a destination device.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the wireless link transmission involves an IEEE 802.11 wireless link.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the aggregation release circuit is further operable to duplicate, in the aggregate frame, a number of packets associated with the original traffic category for which the error rate is monitored, in response to the error rate surpassing a predetermined threshold.

11. The system of claim 9 , further comprising a monitoring circuit operable to monitor an error rate for a respective original traffic category.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the virtual sequence header encapsulation circuit is further operable to aggregate at least one retransmission packet into the aggregate frame.

13. A system of wireless link transmission, comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory;

a receiver coupled to the memory and operable to receive an aggregate frame which comprises a number of packets and to write the packets to the memory, wherein each respective packet of the aggregate frame includes a virtual sequence number and a virtual traffic category indicator in the respective packet's header, and an original sequence number and an original traffic category indicator in the respective packet's payload, and wherein all the packets in the aggregate frame have the same virtual traffic category indicator and continuous virtual sequence numbers; and

a computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more processors storing instructions stored that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform a method comprising:

reading the packets from the memory and restoring the original sequence number and the original traffic category indicator in the header of each of the packets; and

reading the packets from the memory and de-aggregating the packets from the aggregate frame and reordering the restored packets based on their original sequence number and original traffic category indicator, wherein the restored packets have non-continuous original sequence numbers and different original traffic category indicators.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the wireless link transmission involves an IEEE 802.11 wireless link.