Collision reduction mechanism for masked node problem in ad hoc networks

IEEE 802.11 MAC uses RTS/CTS mechanism to avoid DATA packet collisions. RTS/CTS mechanism has been introduced to solve the problems of carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) in ad hoc networks such as hidden/exposed node problem. However, it creates a new problem called masked node problem. In this paper, a collision reduction mechanism named RTS/CTS/TTM with resume is introduced. This mechanism aims to minimize the probability of DATA packet collisions due to the masked nodes in an ad hoc network. We develop a new control packet called time-to-mask (TTM), which contains the time that the node will be masked. The proposed mechanism has been evaluated with a mathematical analysis and a simulation on a small IEEE 802.11 ad hoc network. The numerical results indicate that the RTS/CTS/TTM with resume reduces the probability of DATA packet collision.