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Wireless Network Design: Optimization Models and Solution ...

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204 Khaldoun Al Agha <strong>and</strong> Steven Martin<br />

DCF <strong>and</strong> based on a polling scheme. Since there is no central authority to act as<br />

a point coordinator in ad hoc networks, the PCF cannot be readily applied in such<br />

environments.<br />

In the DCF mode, a Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance<br />

(CSMA/CA) is used. Hence, to transmit a packet, a node has to first listen to the<br />

channel. If it is idle, then the node can send its packet. Otherwise, that is to say if<br />

the node senses energy above a specific threshold on the medium, the transmission is<br />

deferred for a r<strong>and</strong>om interval, reducing the probability of collisions on the channel.<br />

More precisely, when the current transmission ends, the node wanting access waits<br />

a Distributed Inter-Frame Spacing (DIFS) before choosing a r<strong>and</strong>om back-off value.<br />

This value is then decremented only when the channel is idle. As soon as the value<br />

reaches zero, the node sends its packet.<br />

Despite this mechanism, collisions may occur. Contrary to the CSMA/CD used<br />

in the IEEE 802.3 st<strong>and</strong>ard, collision detection is not feasible in the IEEE 802.11<br />

st<strong>and</strong>ard, due to the use of half duplex antennas. This hinders the node from sending<br />

<strong>and</strong> receiving simultaneously. Collisions are then detected indirectly; to confirm<br />

the correct reception of information, acknowledgment (ACK) packets are sent from<br />

the receiver to the sender. In order to send the ACK just after the received packet,<br />

another inter-frame spacing is defined: the Short Inter-Frame Spacing (SIFS). This<br />

one being shorter than the DIFS, ACKs are sent as a priority, preceding any other<br />

packet transmission.<br />

Another problem occurs in wireless networks: the hidden node problem. Indeed,<br />

consider Figure 9.2 where node C wants to transmit a packet to node B, which is<br />

already receiving a packet from node A. As C <strong>and</strong> A are not within the transmission<br />

range of each other, when node C applies the CSMA protocol <strong>and</strong> listens to the<br />

channel, it cannot detect the transmission between A <strong>and</strong> B. This creates a collision,<br />

scrambling data.<br />

Fig. 9.2 Hidden node (1) <strong>and</strong> exposed node (2) problems<br />

To solve this problem, the physical carrier sensing mechanism CSMA can optionally<br />

be supplemented by an additional mechanism, a virtual carrier-sensing mechanism<br />

based on the exchange of Request To Send (RTS) <strong>and</strong> Clear To Send (CTS)<br />

packets between the sender <strong>and</strong> the intended receiver. The IEEE 802.11 RTS/CTS<br />

exchange is defined as follows. Before sending packets, the source sends to the intended<br />

receiver a short packet, named RTS. If the RTS packet is well transmitted,<br />

the receiver replies (after a SIFS) by another short packet, named CTS. Then, the

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