A MAC Protocol that can Support Multimedia Traffic in Mesh and Ad-Hoc Networks

This paper examines the end-to-end (source to destination) link performance characteristics when a novel media access control (MAC) protocol is used to support multimedia traffic in ad-hoc and mesh networks. The performance analysis was performed by a Monte Carlo simulator, the accuracy of which was verified by an analytical Markov model analysis. An overlaid cell structure was considered for the Monte Carlo simulation where the terminals can be mobile within this environment. The system model includes Rice fading, log-normal shadowing and distance dependent pathloss. The system model also considers preferential channel access based on the capture effect. The MAC protocol proposed in this study indicated satisfactory performance characteristics in the presence of multimedia traffic. The results further shows performance benefits of mesh networks over ad-hoc systems. The paper also shows how network density affects the network performance.