A channel-hopping protocol for ad-hoc networks

Media access control (MAC) protocols for wireless networks may be based on collision-avoidance handshakes between sender and receiver. Those protocols proposed or implemented to date require either carrier sensing or the assignment of unique node codes in order to ensure that intended receivers hear data packets without interference from hidden sources. We present and analyze a new collision-avoidance MAC protocol that we call receiver-initiated channel-hopping with dual polling (RICH-DP). RICH-DP is the first MAC protocol based on a receiver-initiated collision-avoidance handshake that does not require carrier sensing or the assignment of unique codes to nodes in order to ensure collision-free reception of data at the intended receivers in the presence of hidden terminals. The correct avoidance of collisions under hidden terminals is verified. The throughput and delay characteristics of RICH-DP are studied analytically, and extensive simulations are presented to verify the analysis and to present a more accurate prediction of how RICH-DP would operate in realistic scenarios. RICH-DP is applicable to ad-hoc networks based on commercial off-the-shelf frequency hopping radios operating in unlicensed frequency bands.