Collision avoidance in a dense RFID network

Abstract

In this work, we develop a CSMA-based MAC protocol to avoid reader-reader and reader-tag collisions in a dense RFID network. The network is implemented using mote-based RFID readers. To implement the MAC protocol,we develop an appropriate carrier sensing circuit using an RFID tag as an antenna and the mote as an apparatus to sample received signal strength. We have augmented a commercially available OEM RFID module with such carrier sensing capability and interfaced it with motes. Performance evaluation shows much superior performance relative to a naive and a randomized protocol in dense deployment environments both in regards to accuracy and time per tag read.