Broadcast Power Saving Feature for 802.11 Networks

In this paper, we propose a new power saving feature for IEEE 802.11 based ad hoc networks. In the proposed solution, nodes operating in ad hoc power-save mode are allowed to send short broadcast frames during the announcement traffic indication message (ATIM) window that occurs during a beacon interval. This is different than the legacy method of forwarding broadcast frames, wherein nodes first announce their intent to transmit a broadcast frame in the ATIM window and then send one or more frames shortly after ATIM window ends. The proposed scheme is helpful since the overhead of transmitting a broadcast ATIM is close to the duration of a short broadcast frame. Simulations show that the proposed scheme provides a substantial reduction in battery consumption compared to the legacy ad hoc power-save operations.