Trace Aloha for Random Multiple Access in Wireless MIMO Networks

In this paper, we propose and evaluate the Trace Aloha protocol for distributed medium access control in wireless MIMO networks. We study the case in which a node only knows the MIMO channel matrix from the node to the access point and the total number of nodes in the network. Given a MIMO channel matrix, a node could calculate the corresponding singular values. According to the Trace Aloha protocol, a node transmits data if and only if the sum of the squared singular values exceeds a predetermined threshold. We use both analytical results and simulation results to justify the usage of the proposed protocol.