A new MAC protocol for streaming services in wireless multi-channel mobile ad hoc networks

In single-channel MANETs, a heavy traffic load will degrade system performance, making streaming services inapplicable. Hence, several multi-channel MAC protocols for MANETs have been proposed and investigated. In this work, we propose a dedicated channel for streaming services (DCSS) scheme for streaming services in multi-channel MANETs. A new dedicated channel is assigned for heavy traffic or streaming services. In addition, system performance and the impact of the DCSS scheme on non-streaming services are thoroughly investigated. According to the simulation results, the DCSS scheme was found to greatly improve the performance of the network, including streaming and non-streaming services. The impact of the DCSS scheme on non-streaming services is also acceptable. The increase in average number of hops is limited to 10%; the loss of network connectivity is negligible in the cases with high node density.