Receiver-initiated channel-hopping for ad-hoc networks

The medium-access control (MAC) protocols for wireless networks proposed or implemented to date based on collision-avoidance handshakes between the sender and receiver either require carrier sensing or the assignment of unique codes to nodes to ensure that intended receivers hear data packets without interference from hidden sources (i.e. IEEE 802.11). We present and analyze a receiver-initiated channel-hopping (RICH) protocol, which 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 to ensure collision-free reception of data at the intended receivers in the presence of hidden terminals. The correct floor acquisition for RICH is verified, and the throughput and delay characteristics are calculated analytically. The RICH protocol presented here is applicable to ad-hoc networks based on commercial, on-the-shelf, spread spectrum frequency-hopping radios operating in unlicensed frequency bands.