WiFlex: Multi-Channel Cooperative Protocols for Heterogeneous Wireless Devices

—1 In ISM bands, many wireless protocols proliferate such as 802.11, Bluetooth, and ZigBee. However, these incompatible protocols create complex coexistence and connectivity problems. If the same trend continues, similar interference and performance problems will continue to exist in future unlicensed bands. As new unlicensed bands open up, one can take a different approach to spectrum sharing. Instead of proposing a new MAC protocol for each type of application, we propose a family of parameterized MAC protocols called WiFlex that can tailor to different application needs ranging from wireless sensors to media center. Yet, these protocols within this family are compatible with each other to allow communication and spectrum-sharing coordination among different types of devices. We envision this family to be based on an OFDM-like multichannel physical layer. The contribution of this paper includes the discovery of an asynchronous split phase (ASP) protocol with dynamic priority suppor...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2008
• Where: WCNC
• Authors: Jiwoong Lee, Jeonghoon Mo, Tran Minh Trung, Jean C. Walrand, Hoi-sheung Wilson So
• Keywords: MAC Protocols, Parameterized Mac Protocols, Unlicensed Bands, WCNC 2008, Wireless Networks