Packet delay analysis of IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol

Abstract

A new packet delay analysis for the IEEE 802.11b protocol is developed by extending throughput analysis introduced by Bianchi. This analysis is validated by comparison with simulation results using the OPNETTM simulation package. Packet delay results are presented as a function of a number of stations and packet size for basic access and RTS/CTS medium access mechanisms. The proposed analysis identifies when the RTS/CTS mechanism achieves lower packet delay with respect to the basic access mechanism and becomes highly beneficial for the performance of IEEE 802.11 WLANs.