A collision-controlled MAC protocol for mobile ad hoc networks and multihop wireless LANs

High collision rates in multihop wireless networks constitute an issue that has to be resolved in order to achieve satisfactory application quality in such networking environments. In this paper, we propose random ID countdown with ACK (RICK) based on dual prohibition for medium access control (MAC) in ad hoc networks, multihop wireless LANs, sensor networks, and mesh networks. RICK is a new collision-controlled multiple access (CCMA) protocol that can resolve several important problems encountered in previous MACP, CCMA, or RTS/CTS-based protocols, while improving/retaining their important advantages, including strong differentiation capability and the ability to reduce the collision rate and control it to a satisfactory level.