Multichannel Mac Protocols for Wireless Networks
MMAC: A Mobility-Adaptive, Collision-Free MAC Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks
Muneeb Ali, Tashfeen Suleman, and Zartash Afzal Uzmi Computer Science Department, LUMS {muneeb,tashfeens,zartash}@lums.edu.pk
Abstract
Mobility in wireless sensor networks poses unique challenges to the medium access control (MAC) protocol design. Previous MAC protocols for sensor networks assume static sensor nodes and focus on energyefficiency. In this paper, we present a mobilityadaptive, collision-free medium access control protocol (MMAC) for mobile sensor networks. MMAC caters for both weak mobility (e.g., topology changes, node joins, and node failures) and strong mobility (e.g., concurrent node joins and failures, and physical mobility of nodes). MMAC is a scheduling-based protocol and thus it guarantees collision avoidance. MMAC allows nodes the transmission rights at particular timeslots based on the traffic information and mobility pattern of the nodes. Simulation results indicate that the performance of MMAC is equivalent to that of TRAMA [1] in static sensor network environments. In sensor networks with mobile nodes or high network dynamics, MMAC outperforms existing MAC protocols, like TRAMA and S-MAC [2], in terms of energyefficiency, delay, and packet delivery. sensor nodes are static. Researchers have, however, envisioned sensor networks with mobile sensor nodes [5]. In this paper, we show that the current MAC protocols for wireless sensor networks are not suited for mobile sensor network environments, and present a mobility-adaptive, collision-free medium access control (MMAC) protocol for sensor networks. MMAC follows the design principles of TRAMA [1] a scheduling-based MAC protocol for static multi-hop wireless sensor networks. In mobile environments the fixed frame time of current MAC protocols causes performance degradation in a number of ways: a) the mobile nodes, upon joining a new neighborhood, need to wait for a long time before they can send data, b) in
Muneeb Ali, Tashfeen Suleman, and Zartash Afzal Uzmi Computer Science Department, LUMS {muneeb,tashfeens,zartash}@lums.edu.pk
Abstract
Mobility in wireless sensor networks poses unique challenges to the medium access control (MAC) protocol design. Previous MAC protocols for sensor networks assume static sensor nodes and focus on energyefficiency. In this paper, we present a mobilityadaptive, collision-free medium access control protocol (MMAC) for mobile sensor networks. MMAC caters for both weak mobility (e.g., topology changes, node joins, and node failures) and strong mobility (e.g., concurrent node joins and failures, and physical mobility of nodes). MMAC is a scheduling-based protocol and thus it guarantees collision avoidance. MMAC allows nodes the transmission rights at particular timeslots based on the traffic information and mobility pattern of the nodes. Simulation results indicate that the performance of MMAC is equivalent to that of TRAMA [1] in static sensor network environments. In sensor networks with mobile nodes or high network dynamics, MMAC outperforms existing MAC protocols, like TRAMA and S-MAC [2], in terms of energyefficiency, delay, and packet delivery. sensor nodes are static. Researchers have, however, envisioned sensor networks with mobile sensor nodes [5]. In this paper, we show that the current MAC protocols for wireless sensor networks are not suited for mobile sensor network environments, and present a mobility-adaptive, collision-free medium access control (MMAC) protocol for sensor networks. MMAC follows the design principles of TRAMA [1] a scheduling-based MAC protocol for static multi-hop wireless sensor networks. In mobile environments the fixed frame time of current MAC protocols causes performance degradation in a number of ways: a) the mobile nodes, upon joining a new neighborhood, need to wait for a long time before they can send data, b) in