MACA-BI (MACA by invitation). A wireless MAC protocol for high speed ad hoc networking

This paper introduces a new wireless MAC protocol, MACA-BI (MACA by invitation). The protocol is a simplified version of the well known MACA (multiple access collision avoidance) based on the request to send/clear to send (RTS/CTS) handshake. The clear to send (CTS) control message is retained, while the request to send (RTS) part of the RTS/CTS handshake is suppressed. MACA-BI, preserving the data collision free property, is more robust than MACA to problems such as protocol failures (control packet collision and corruption) and finite turn-around time. Analytic results for a 1 Mbps single-hop far-field wireless network, and simulation results for a 10 Mbps multi-hop near-field ATM wireless indoor network, show that MACA-BI outperforms other multiple access protocols in high speed, steady traffic environments (e.g. ATM VBR and CBR) and where the propagation delay can be neglected (typically indoor).