Wait-Time-based Multi-channel MAC Protocol for Wireless Mesh Networks

The dedicated control channel protocols can solve many problems in multi-channel environments by using a common control channel to exchange control frames. However, the overhead produced in channel consultation are costly and easily lead to Control Channel Saturation (CCS) problem, which reduces both the network throughput and channel utilization. In this paper, we propose a new multi-channel MAC protocol, named Wait-Time-based Dedicated Control Channel (WTDCC) protocol to solve the CCS problem. Our scheme can drastically reduce the overhead for consultation on the control channel and make full use of all the data channels. Theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the WTDCC can improve the throughput of each data channel, and the common control channel can support negotiation for more data channels. Thus more orthogonal channels can be used and the system performance can be improved.