A Distributed Multi-Channel MAC Protocol for Ad Hoc Wireless Networks

This paper proposes a novel distributed multi-channel medium access control (MAC) protocol using fast and slow hopping sequences with dual radio interfaces. Specifically, one interface follows fast hopping and is primarily for transmission, and the other interface follows slow hopping and is generally for reception. The proposed protocol, which is in line with the IEEE 802.11 MAC strategies, is based on the multiple rendezvous approach and able to enhance the network performance and resolve the congestion. An analytical model is developed to evaluate the network performance in terms of the aggregate throughput. Furthermore, the maximum saturation throughput and the upper achievable throughput are computed. Simulations using network simulator-2 (ns-2) are conducted to validate the analytical model and demonstrate the significant enhancement of the proposed protocol in single- and multi-hop networks.