Asynchronous Multi-Channel MAC Protocol

Abstract

Traditional IEEE 802.11-based networks use only a single channel to ensure connectivity; however, multi-channel capability is available to provide higher network throughput by allowing simultaneous multiple transmissions that do not interfere with each other. The use of multiple channels raises several new challenges: mainly finding the receiver, scheduling the next transmission, balancing the load among channels, and dealing with multi-channel hidden terminals. This paper proposes a novel and efficient, asynchronous multi-channel medium-access control (MAC) protocol using a single transceiver. The key technique is that the proposed protocol separates searching and scheduling processes where searching users switch channels faster than regular users. Simulation results indicate that the proposed protocol achieves up to 14.10 Mbps network throughput, whereas the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol, with a single channel, provides only 4.35 Mbps in the best case when three orthogonal channels with an 11- Mbps data rate are available