Adaptability in the B-MAC+ Protocol

In order to obtain maximum energetic efficiency, wireless sensor networks must be able to tailor their mode of operation at every level of the software infrastructure. At the MAC level, adaptability can greatly improve the performance of the system by tuning the parameters of operation of the protocol on the base of the communication pattern of the application. This paper presents an adaptive, contention-based MAC protocol where the duty cycle of the transceiver is dynamically changed to match the traffic rate. Adaptation is achieved by using local information and without generating additional messages. Coordination among nodes is based on passive dissemination of nodes' low power listening modes.