A Cross-Layer Adaptive Cooperative MAC Protocol for Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

This paper proposes a cross-layer adaptive cooperative MAC protocol (CAC-MAC) based on IEEE 802.11 DCF, which forms a complete Application-MAC-PHY layer framework. The main feature of CAC-MAC protocol is an adaptive selection of data transmission scheme according to packet length and instantaneous wireless channel conditions. Simulation results show that the novel protocol significantly improves the network performance in terms of saturated throughput and average packet delay, which illustrates a new paradigm for realistic cross-layer cooperative MAC protocol design for next generation wireless ad hoc networks.