MAC coding for QoS guarantees in multi-hop mobile wireless networks
Carlos H. Rentel, Thomas Kunz · 2005
The coding theory goal of finding codes with the largest possible distance among its constituent code-words in an ever smaller dimensional space is analogous to the goal of finding separate yet efficient ways for the nodes of a network to transmit in a multiple access system. A Medium Access Control (MAC) strategy is proposed referred to as MAC coding that leverages the use of codes traditionally used for channel coding purposes. It is shown how these codes can be utilized to device a scheduling strategy that has the potential to guarantee a minimum level of performance for the nodes of a multi-hop mobile wireless ad hoc network in an efficient manner. Additionally, coding theory results are used to derive simple expressions for the minimum throughput and delay of nodes when using Reed-Solomon and Hermitian error correcting codes as MAC scheduling codes.The average performance of a large family of MAC scheduling codes is analytically compared to the one obtained by slotted-ALOHA, and a code-selection algorithm is proposed that can improve the average throughput of MAC coding when the number of nodes in the network is greater than the number of code-words available in a given code.