QoS based MAC protocol for the home network

The home network is one of the most important information infrastructures of the future. Among the home network solutions available, one promising technology is a HomePNA utilizing the phone line. However, it is not able to guarantee the QoS due to the adaptation of the mature IEEE802.3 CSMA/CD technology which is used for Ethernet. In light of this, we propose and evaluate a new MAC protocol for the home network called the HomeMAC that provides guaranteed QoS for appliances and PCs. HomeMAC features a hybrid CSMA/CD-timed token protocol which combines the CSMA/CD with timed token protocol and transmits real-tune traffic based on the QoS level table (QLT) for guaranteeing QoS. In the HomeMAC, there are two different transmission modes, namely, the CSMA/CD mode when there is no real-time traffic, and the timed token mode when there is real-time traffic taking place. By dynamically switching the transmission mode between CSMA/CD mode and timed token mode in accordance with the different kinds of traffic, the hybrid protocol provides low delay, low jitter, and low loss rate to multimedia appliances such as TVs, DVDs, and PCs. Moreover, by providing flexible bandwidth allocation based on QLT, the HomeMAC can serve high QoS whole covering entire offered load.