Transmit Only: An Ultra Low Overhead MAC Protocol for Dense Wireless Systems

Abstract

The number of small wireless devices is rapidly increasing, making the radio channel efficiency in limited geographic areas (individual rooms or buildings) an important metric for MAC protocols. Many of these emerging devices have use-cases that are difficult to satisfy with current hardware solutions and channel access methods; for instance device mobility, small energy reserves, and requirements for low cost and small form factors. However, for most of these applications, such as health care monitoring or sensing, feedback to the radio device is unnecessary and unidirectional communication techniques are not only sufficient, but can also be advantageous. We propose an efficient, reliable technique for unidirectional communication, called Transmit Only (TO), that satisfies these requirements while maintaining packet throughput guarantees and reducing energy consumption. In this paper we will demonstrate the feasibility and performance of this kind of highly asymmetric, transmit-only protocol through theoretical, simulated, and experimental results.