Performance characterization and receiver design for random temporal multiple access in non-coordinated networks

Random access is a well-known multiple access method for uncoordinated communication nodes. Existing work mainly focuses on optimizing iterative access protocols, assuming that packets are corrupted once they are collided, or that feedback is available and can be exploited. In practice, a packet may still be able to be recovered successfully even when collided with other packets. System design and performance analysis under such a situation, particularly when the details of collision are taken into consideration, are less known. In this paper, we provide a framework for analytically evaluating the actual detection performance in a random temporal multiple access system where nodes can only transmit. Explicit expressions are provided for collision probability and signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) when different numbers of packets are collided. We then discuss and compare two receiver options for the AP, and provide detailed receiver design for the premium one. In particular, we propose a synchronization scheme which can largely reduce the preamble length. We also demonstrate that system performance could be a convex function of preamble length both analytically and via simulation, as well as the forward error correction (FEC) coding rate.