MACA-BI (MACA By Invitation) A Wireless MAC Protocol for High Speed ad hoc Networking

This paper introduces a new wireless MAC protocol, MACA-BI (MACA By Invitation). The protocol is a simplified version of the well known MACA (Multiple Access Collision Avoidance) based on the Request to Send/Clear to Send (RTS/CTS) handshake. The Clear to Send (CTS) control message is retained, while the Request to Send (RTS) part of the RTS/CTS handshake is suppressed. MACA-BI, preserving the data collision free property, is more robust than MACA to problems such as protocol failures (control packet collision and corruption) and finite turn-around time. Analytic results for a 1Mbps single-hop far-field wireless network, and simulation results for a 10Mbps multi-hop near-field ATM wireless indoor network, show that MACA-BI outperforms other multiple access protocols in high speed, steady traffic environments (e.g. ATM VBR and CBR) and where the propagation delay can be neglected (typically indoor).