Electronic Theses and Dissertation

Lonjakan trafik akses pada sistem informasi akademik (Simkuliah) di lingkungan kampus sering kali memicu degradasi kinerja jaringan nirkabel yang drastis, terutama pada kondisi kepadatan pengguna yang tinggi. Standar IEEE 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) yang mendominasi infrastruktur saat ini memiliki keterbatasan kapasitas yang nyata dalam menangani antrean paket akibat mekanisme akses kanal berbasis kompetisi. Penelitian ini mengusulkan standar IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) sebagai solusi potensial dengan mengevaluasi efektivitas mekanisme Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA). Evaluasi dilakukan melalui simulasi jaringan menggunakan perangkat lunak Network Simulator 3 (NS-3) yang memodelkan topologi Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) untuk merepresentasikan kondisi gedung perkuliahan Fakultas Teknik Universitas Syiah Kuala. Pengujian mengukur parameter Quality of Service (QoS) utama yang meliputi throughput, delay, dan packet loss dengan memvariasikan jumlah stasiun pengguna aktif mulai dari 15 hingga batas ekstrem 120 perangkat. Hasil simulasi membuktikan bahwa pada kepadatan maksimal 120 pengguna, arsitektur Wi-Fi 5 mengalami kegagalan sistem yang fatal dengan rasio packet loss mencapai 86 persen. Sebaliknya, arsitektur Wi-Fi 6 terbukti mampu menjaga integritas jaringan dengan menekan packet loss hingga 0,32 persen, mempertahankan throughput di angka 550 Mbps, serta menjaga stabilitas average delay di angka 21,8 milidetik. Hasil penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa peralihan menuju infrastruktur Wi-Fi 6 merupakan solusi teknis yang efektif untuk mengurai kemacetan lalu lintas spektrum dan menjamin kelancaran layanan akademik di lingkungan padat pengguna.

Kata kunci: IEEE 802.11ax, OFDMA, Resource Unit, NS-3, Kinerja Jaringan.

Spikes in access traffic on the academic information system (Simkuliah) on campus often trigger a drastic degradation in wireless network performance, especially under conditions of high user density. The IEEE 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) standard, which currently dominates the infrastructure, has significant capacity limitations in handling packet queues due to its competition-based channel access mechanism. This study proposes the IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) standard as a potential solution by evaluating the effectiveness of the Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) mechanism. The evaluation was conducted through network simulations using the Network Simulator 3 (NS-3) software, which models an Overlapping Basic Service Set (OBSS) topology to represent the conditions of a lecture hall at the Faculty of Engineering, Syiah Kuala University. The tests measured key Quality of Service (QoS) parameters including throughput, delay, and packet loss by varying the number of active user stations from 15 to an extreme limit of 120 devices. The simulation results demonstrated that at the maximum density of 120 users, the Wi-Fi 5 architecture experienced a critical system failure with a packet loss rate reaching 86 percent. In contrast, the Wi-Fi 6 architecture proved capable of maintaining network integrity by reducing packet loss to 0.32 percent, sustaining a throughput of 550 Mbps, and maintaining a stable average delay of 21.8 milliseconds. The results of this study conclude that the transition to Wi-Fi 6 infrastructure is an effective technical solution for alleviating spectrum congestion and ensuring the smooth operation of academic services in high-density environments. Keywords: IEEE 802.11ax, OFDMA, Resource Unit, NS-3, Network Performance.