Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) in IEEE 802.

11 Protocol

Shashank Tadakamadla

Outline
CSMA/CA Basics
CSMA/CD Basics Why CSMA/CA over CSMA/CD? Need for CSMA/CA in IEEE 802.11 protocol CSMA/CA Mechanism in 802.11 protocol

CSMA/CA
CSMA/CA is a wireless network

multiple access method in which:

Station Waiting to Transmit

A carrier sensing scheme is

used. A node wishing to transmit data has to first listen to the channel for a predetermined amount of time whether or not another node is transmitting on channel within the wireless range. If the channel is sensed idle, then the node is permitted to begin the transmission process. If the channel is sensed as busy, the node defers its transmission for a random period of time.

Is the Channel Idle? Yes Wait for random period

No

Wait for random period

Is the Channel Busy? No Transmit

Yes

CSMA/CD
CSMA/CD is a Media Access

Control method in which:

Station Waiting to Transmit

A carrier sensing scheme is

used. A transmitting data station that detects another signal while transmitting a frame, stops transmitting that frame, transmits a jam signal, and them waits for a random time interval before trying to resend the frame.

Is another station Tx? No Transmit the frame

Yes

Collision Detected ? No Transmit another frame

Yes

Collision Recovery Subalgorithm

CSMA/CA Vs. CSMA/CD

CSMA/CD is used in wired LANs and CSMA/CA used in wireless

LANs and other types of wireless networks. CSMA/CD is standardized in IEEE 802.3 and CSMA/CA is standardized in IEEE 802.11. CSMA/CD will not take steps to prevent transmission collision until it is taken place while CSMA/CA will take actions not to take place any collision since the latter has no means of knowing whether a collision has taken place. Ethernet devices has the ability to listen while transmitting hence CSMA/CD is used in wired LANs whereas wireless stations are able to transmit or listen to channel at a time. Hence CSMA/CA is the best mechanism for wireless LANs.

CSMA/CA Requirement in IEEE 802.11 protocol

To avoid collisions between the transmissions of

different wireless stations. To improve the throughput of the network Proper transmission methodology To maintain synchronization of nodes in a network.

CSMA/CA Implementation in IEEE 802.11 protocol

CSMA/CA Mechanism in 802.11
For a STA to transmit, it shall sense the medium to determine if another STA is transmitting. If the medium is not determined to be busy, the transmission may proceed. The CSMA/CA distributed algorithm mandates that a gap of a minimum specified duration exist between contiguous frame sequences. A transmitting STA shall ensure that the medium is idle for this required duration before attempting to transmit. If the medium is determined to be busy, the STA shall defer until the end of the current transmission. After deferral, or prior to attempting to transmit again immediately after a successful transmission, the STA shall select a random backoff interval and shall decrement the backoff interval counter while the medium is idle. A transmission is successful either when an ACK frame is received from the STA addressed by the RA field of the transmitted frame or when a frame with a group address in the RA field is transmitted completely.

CS Mechanism
802.11 uses both the CS
CS Mechanism

mechanisms to estimate a clean channel.

Virtual CS Mechanism

Virtual

Physical

A virtual CS mechanism shall be provided by the MAC. This mechanism is referred to as the NAV (Network Allocation Vector). The NAV maintains a prediction of future traffic on the medium based on duration information that is announced in RTS/CTS frames prior to the actual exchange of data or from the duration field present in the frames transmitted by STAs.

Physical CS Mechanism

A physical CS mechanism shall be provided by sensing the physical medium/channel. Physical medium of device determines the energy level on the channel that the device is operating. If the energy level exceeds the threshold value, STA understands the medium/channel is busy else Idle.

Virtual CS Mechanism

STAs receiving a valid frame shall update their NAV with the information received in the Duration field for all frames where the new NAV value is greater than the current NAV value, except the NAV shall not be updated where the RA is equal to the receiving STAs MAC address. Upon receipt of a PS-Poll frame, a STA shall update its NAV settings as appropriate under the data rate selection rules using a duration value equal to the time, in microseconds, required to transmit one ACK frame plus one SIFS interval, but only when the new NAV value is greater than the current NAV value. If the calculated duration includes a fractional microsecond, that value is rounded up the next higher integer. When the NAV is reset, a PHY-CCARESET.request shall be issued.

For any queries, please mail me at shashank.tadakamadla@gmail.com