Impact of MAC Layer on The Hidden and Exposed Terminal Problem in MANET

Abstract

Wireless networking grows rapidly because of the human desires for mobility and for freedom from tethers, i.e., from physical connections to communication networks. Recent advances in wireless technology have equipped portable computers, such as notebook computers and personal digital assistants with wireless interfaces that allow networked communication even while a user is mobile. We will focus on a particular kind of wireless network: mobile ad hoc networks. A mobile ad hoc network is a self organizing and rapidly deployable network in which neither a wired backbone nor a centralized control exists. The network nodes communicate with one another over scarce wireless channels in a multi-hop fashion. The ad hoc network is adaptable to the highly dynamic topology resulted from the mobility of network nodes and the changing propagation conditions. Generally, protocols used at medium access and physical layers of ad hoc networks are similar to those used in infrastructure based wireless networks. It is a common practise in infrastructure based wireless networks to use pre-data exchange of control information to eliminate the hidden terminal" problem.