Zigzag decoding: combating hidden terminals in wireless networks

This paper presents ZigZag, an 802.11 receiver design that combats hidden terminals. ZigZag's core contribution is a new form of interference cancellation that exploits asynchrony across successive collisions. Specifically, 802.11 retransmissions, in the case of hidden terminals, cause successive collisions. These collisions have different interference-free stretches at their start, which ZigZag exploits to bootstrap its decoding. ZigZag makes no changes to the 802.11 MAC and introduces no overhead when there are no collisions. But, when senders collide, ZigZag attains the same throughput as if the colliding packets were a priori scheduled in separate time slots. We build a prototype of ZigZag in GNU Radio. In a testbed of 14 USRP nodes, ZigZag reduces the average packet loss rate at hidden terminals from 72.6% to about 0.7%.

[1]  Rudi van Drunen,et al.  Wireless Networks , 2007, USENIX Annual Technical Conference.

[2]  Robert G. Gallager,et al.  A perspective on multiaccess channels , 1984, IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory.

[3]  Ratul Mahajan,et al.  Measurement-based models of delivery and interference in static wireless networks , 2006, SIGCOMM 2006.

[4]  Marwan Krunz,et al.  CDMA-based MAC protocol for wireless ad hoc networks , 2003, MobiHoc '03.

[5]  Dong Chao,et al.  Universal Software Radio Peripheral , 2010 .

[6]  Voon Chin Phua,et al.  Wireless lan medium access control (mac) and physical layer (phy) specifications , 1999 .

[7]  Mario Gerla,et al.  Effectiveness of RTS/CTS handshake in IEEE 802.11 based ad hoc networks , 2003, Ad Hoc Networks.

[8]  Andrew J. Viterbi,et al.  Very Low Rate Convolutional Codes for Maximum Theoretical Performance of Spread-Spectrum Multiple-Access Channels , 1990, IEEE J. Sel. Areas Commun..

[9]  Peter Steenkiste,et al.  Using emulation to understand and improve wireless networks and applications , 2005, NSDI.

[10]  Bernard Fino,et al.  Multiuser detection: , 1999, Ann. des Télécommunications.

[11]  Jit Ken Tan,et al.  An adaptive Orthogonaly Division Multiplexing baseband modem for wideband wireless communication , 2006 .

[12]  Lizhong Zheng,et al.  Diversity-multiplexing tradeoff in multiple-access channels , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Information Theory.

[13]  Anura P. Jayasumana,et al.  Effect of hidden terminals on the performance of IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol , 1998, Proceedings 23rd Annual Conference on Local Computer Networks. LCN'98 (Cat. No.98TB100260).

[14]  J. J. Garcia-Luna-Aceves,et al.  Solutions to hidden terminal problems in wireless networks , 1997, SIGCOMM '97.

[15]  Nj Piscataway,et al.  Wireless LAN medium access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) specifications , 1996 .

[16]  Heinrich Meyr,et al.  Digital communication receivers - synchronization, channel estimation, and signal processing , 1997, Wiley series in telecommunications and signal processing.

[17]  Ashok K. Agrawala,et al.  Sniffing out the correct physical layer capture model in 802.11b , 2004, Proceedings of the 12th IEEE International Conference on Network Protocols, 2004. ICNP 2004..

[18]  Dina Katabi,et al.  Beyond the bits: cooperative packet recovery using physical layer information , 2007, MobiCom '07.

[19]  Jing Zhu,et al.  CSMA Self-Adaptation Based on Interference Differentiation , 2007, IEEE GLOBECOM 2007 - IEEE Global Telecommunications Conference.

[20]  Piero Castoldi.  Multiuser Detection in CDMA Mobile Terminals , 2002 .

[21]  J. G. Andrews,et al.  Interference cancellation for cellular systems: a contemporary overview , 2005, IEEE Wireless Communications.

[22]  Shlomo Shamai,et al.  Spectral Efficiency of CDMA with Random Spreading , 1999, IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory.

[23]  David Wetherall,et al.  Interference Cancellation: Better Receivers for a New Wireless MAC , 2007, HotNets.

[24]  A. M. Abdullah,et al.  Wireless lan medium access control (mac) and physical layer (phy) specifications , 1997 .

[25]  Yi Li,et al.  Effects of Interference on Wireless Mesh Networks: Pathologies and a Preliminary Solution , 2007, HotNets.

[26]  J.E. Mazo,et al.  Digital communications , 1985, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[27]  Vaduvur Bharghavan,et al.  MACAW: a media access protocol for wireless LAN's , 1994, SIGCOMM 1994.

[28]  Yanghee Choi,et al.  An experimental study on the capture effect in 802.11a networks , 2007, WinTECH '07.

[29]  Srinivasan Seshan,et al.  Understanding and mitigating the impact of RF interference on 802.11 networks , 2007, SIGCOMM '07.

[30]  Stefano Tomasin,et al.  Implementing interference cancellation to increase the EV-DO Rev A reverse link capacity , 2006, IEEE Communications Magazine.

[31]  Sachin Katti,et al.  Embracing wireless interference: analog network coding , 2007, SIGCOMM '07.

[32]  Stefan Savage,et al.  Jigsaw: solving the puzzle of enterprise 802.11 analysis , 2006, SIGCOMM.

[33]  David Wetherall,et al.  Taking the sting out of carrier sense: interference cancellation for wireless LANs , 2008, MobiCom '08.

[34]  David G. Messerschmitt,et al.  Digital Communications , 1995 .

[35]  Soung Chang Liew,et al.  Experimental Study of Hidden-node Problem in IEEE 802 . 11 Wireless Networks * , 2005 .

[36]  Joe F. Chicharo,et al.  Unfairness and capture behaviour in 802.11 adhoc networks , 2000, 2000 IEEE International Conference on Communications. ICC 2000. Global Convergence Through Communications. Conference Record.

[37]  P. Karn,et al.  MACA-a New Channel Access Method for Packet Radio , 1990 .