Improving performance of adaptive media access control protocols for high-density wireless networks

The problems of intermittent disconnection, high error rate and collision in high-density wireless networks cause degradation in the performance of wireless media access control protocols, such as slotted ALOHA Time Division Multiple Access (slotted ALOHA/TDMA) and Direct Sequence Code Division Multiple Access (DS/CDMA). We propose adaptive techniques for improving performance of media access protocols through awareness of the mobile communication environment. These techniques involve detection of intermittent disconnection, high error rates, and collisions. Upon detection and notification of these conditions by snooping devices, the media access control layer adapts its operation and synchronization accordingly to reduce delay and loss of bandwidth. Results from our simulation studies show that adaptive TDMA improves performance by as much as 12 times over basic TDMA and adaptive CDMA improves by as much as 4 times over basic CDMA in wireless network with high population cells. Overall, adaptive CDIMA still performs better than adaptive TDMA by about 4 times.