Modifying the HIPERLAN/1 CAC layer protocol for intermittent connectivity

Intermittent connectivity is common in certain wireless access networks. Existing network protocols are not resilient to disruption of communication links and communication often fails when faced with sporadic connectivity. Thus in recent years there is a growing interest in Intermittently Connected Mobile Networks (also know as Mobile Opportunistic Networks) and many routing protocols have been proposed in the literature to address the problem. Most of them are evaluated under assumptions in proposed theoretical frameworks or/and through simulation. In this paper we propose a modification to the Channel Access sub-layer of the Medium Access layer of the HIPERLAN/1 protocol for wireless LANs to extend its operation for intermittent connectivity. The proposal is then evaluated through simulation which takes into account realistic conditions for wireless intermittent connectivity (contention, mobility, bit errors, hidden nodes and capture).