Summary: MAC Protocol Features

νDistributed Coordination Function (DCF) provides efficient medium sharing

Use Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA)

MAC uses the PHY layer Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) function for

CSMA/CA

νRobust for interference

CSMA/CA + ACK for unicast frames, with MAC level recovery

CSMA/CA for broadcast frames

νVirtual carrier sense function provided to protect against hidden nodes

νIncludes fragmentation to cope with different PHY characteristics

νPoint Coordination Function (PCF) option for time bounded data

νFrame formats to support multiple configurations and roaming

,

© Siemens, 2002

 

 

Page 41
Image 41
Siemens IEEE802.11 manual Summary MAC Protocol Features, Robust for interference