ADAPT: a dynamically self-adjusting media access control protocol for ad hoc-networks

Abstract

This paper presents a dynamically adaptive protocol for transmission (ADAPT) for ad hoc networks that combines, in a novel way, a collision-free allocation based protocol and a contention based protocol while retaining the advantages of each. At low loads, ADAPT uses its contention mechanism to reclaim/reuse bandwidth that would otherwise be wasted by a pure allocation based protocol. At high loads, ADAPT provides bounded delay guarantees by dynamically changing its operation to that of its allocation based protocol, avoiding the fundamental problem of instability associated with pure contention based protocols. Thus, ADAPT self-adjusts its behavior according to the prevailing network conditions. Both analysis and simulation results demonstrate that the two protocols interact in a positive way, showing that it is possible to combine the advantages of two fundamentally different design philosophies without suffering from their drawbacks.