Smart-Aloha for Multi-Hop Wireless Networks

This paper presents a novel slotted ALOHAbased protocol for use in ad hoc networks where nodes are equipped with adaptive array smart antennas. The protocol relies on the ability of the antenna and DoA (Direction of Arrival) algorithms to identify the direction of transmitters and then beamform appropriately to maximize SINR (Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio) at the receiver. The performance of the protocol is evaluated using analytical modeling as well as detailed simulation in OPNET and Matlab where we demonstrate the benefits of using smart antennas. The impact of using different number of antenna elements is also studied for this environment.