Interference-aware hybrid CCC-based MAC protocol for cognitive radio ad hoc networks

Interference due to multi-channel CR hidden terminals and edge PU receivers at link level has direct impact on performance of CR-MAC protocol. State-of-the-art research in CR-MAC propose sequential, cluster-CCC coverage for In-band and global CCC coverage for out-of-band spectrum to avoid primary (PU) and secondary (CR) hidden terminals. But, imperfect node synchronization due to per hop and group CCC coverage with In-band CR-MAC cannot resolve hidden terminal problem effectively. On the other hand, even though global CCC coverage with out-of-band CR-MAC provides tight node synchronization to avoid hidden terminals, it is susceptible to intruder attacks and channel saturation. To overcome this, we propose an Interference aware hybrid CCC based CR-MAC protocol with adaptive power control algorithm to avoid both PU and CR multi-channel hidden terminals through tight node synchronization and reduced cognitive control overhead. Experimental results reveal that proposed CR-MAC protocol has increased link throughput and reduced control overhead when compared with existing In-band and out-of-band CCC based CR-MAC protocols.