On Channel Selection Strategies for Multi-Channel MAC Protocols in Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

Multi-channel medium access control (MAC) protocols have recently been proposed to improve the performance of the transmission control protocol (TCP) in IEEE 802.11 wireless ad hoc networks. This paper uses ns-2 network simulations to study the impact of channel selection techniques on multi-channel MAC protocol performance, particularly for the bi-directional multi-channel MAC protocol. Three channel selection strategies are studied: random, lowest channel first, and soft channel reservation. The simulation results identify four distinct scenarios in which data channel frame losses can occur. Among the channel selection strategies evaluated, the soft channel reservation technique is the most effective for the missed reservation problem. This channel selection strategy reduces link-layer data frame losses and provides higher TCP throughput compared to the other channel selection approaches