A cross-layer optimization of IEEE 802.11 MAC for wireless multihop networks

Introducing multihop transmission in wireless networks has both pros and cons. It will improve the reliability of each wireless link by reducing the average transmission distance. On the other hand, it will add delay to the end-to-end QoS, which is caused by multiple packet relays. In this letter, we analyze the optimal performance of the IEEE 802.11 based multihop network, by jointly optimizing the carrier-sensing range of CSMA/CA and the target data rate of each wireless link.