Multi-channel MAC for ad hoc networks: Handling multi-channel hidden terminals using a single transceiver

This paper proposes a medium access control (MAC) protocol for ad hoc wireless networks that utilizes multiple channels dynamically to improve performance. The IEEE 802.11 standard allows for the use of multiple channels available at the physical layer, but its MAC protocol is designed only for a single channel. A single-channel MAC protocol does not work well in a multi-channel environment, because of the multi-channel hidden terminal problem. Our proposed protocol enables hosts to utilize multiple channels by switching channels dynamically, thus increasing network throughput. The protocol requires only one transceiver per host, but solves the multi-channel hidden terminal problem using temporal synchronization. Our scheme improves network throughput significantly, especially when the network is highly congested. The simulation results show that our protocol successfully exploits multiple channels to achieve higher throughput than IEEE 802.11. Also, the performance of our protocol is comparable to another multi-channel MAC protocol that requires multiple transceivers per host. Since our protocol requires only one transceiver per host, it can be implemented with a hardware complexity comparable to IEEE 802.11.