Multi-channel power-controlled directional MAC for wireless mesh networks

Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) have emerged recently as a technology for providing high-speed last mile connectivity in next-generation wireless networks. Several MAC protocols that exploit multiple channels and directional antennas have been proposed in the literature to increase the performance of WMNs. However, while these techniques can improve the wireless medium utilization by reducing radio interference and the impact of the exposed nodes problem, they can also exacerbate the hidden nodes problem. Therefore, efficient MAC protocols need to be carefully designed to fully exploit the features offered by multiple channels and directional antennas. In this paper we propose a novel Multi-Channel Power-Controlled Directional MAC protocol (MPCD-MAC) for nodes equipped with multiple network interfaces and directional antennas. MPCDMAC uses the standard RTS-CTS-DATA-ACK exchange procedure. The novel difference is the transmission of the RTS and CTS packets in all directions on a separa...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2011
• Where: WICOMM
• Authors: Fabio Martignon
• Keywords: Directional Antennas, Information Technology, MAC Protocol, Multiple Channels, WICOMM 2011