Collision Resolution Schemes with Nonoverlapped Contention Slots for Heterogeneous and Homogeneous WLANs

CSMA/CA-based DCF of 802.11 MAC layer employs a best-effort delivery model, in which stations compete for channel access with the same priority. In a heterogeneous network, providing different priorities to different applications for required quality of service is a challenging task, since heterogeneous conditions result in unfairness among stations and degradation in the throughput. This paper proposes a class of collision resolution schemes for 802.11 having contention window control with nonoverlapped contention slots. In the first scheme, window ranges of two consecutive stages are nonoverlapped, and it is called nonoverlapped contention slots (NOCS) scheme. In the other scheme, termed as NOCS-offset, an offset is introduced between window ranges of two stages. Selection of a random value by a station for its contention with discontinuous distribution results in reduced probability of collision. Analytical and simulation results show that the proposed scheme exhibits higher throughput and fairness with reduced delay and collision probability in homogeneous and heterogeneous networks. Performance of the proposed scheme is evaluated for mix traffic and high data rate environment with advanced back-off management techniques to meet the requirements of the present applications.