A Model of the IEEE 802.11 DCF in Presence of Non Ideal Transmission Channel and Capture Effects

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the throughput of IEEE 802.11 DCF considering non-ideal channels and capture effects in Rayleigh fading environments, providing a more realistic model for unsaturated traffic conditions.

Contribution

It extends existing MAC layer models by incorporating transmission errors and capture effects due to channel imperfections, offering improved throughput analysis under practical conditions.

Findings

Transmission errors significantly impact throughput in high interference environments.

Capture effects can enhance throughput despite channel imperfections.

The extended model accurately predicts performance in non-saturated traffic scenarios.

Abstract

In this paper, we provide a throughput analysis of the IEEE 802.11 protocol at the data link layer in non-saturated traffic conditions taking into account the impact of both transmission channel and capture effects in Rayleigh fading environment. Impacts of both non-ideal channel and capture become important in terms of the actual observed throughput in typical network conditions whereby traffic is mainly unsaturated, specially in an environment of high interference. We extend the multi-dimensional Markovian state transition model characterizing the behavior at the MAC layer by including transmission states that account for packet transmission failures due to errors caused by propagation through the channel, along with a state characterizing the system when there are no packets to be transmitted in the buffer of a station.