Markov chain performance model for IEEE 802.11 devices with energy harvesting source

Research on energy harvesting networks has attracted an increasing attention lately. Nevertheless, few research of energy harvesting network follows the IEEE 802.11 protocol, whose medium access control (MAC) mechanism, called distributed coordination function (DCF), is based on the carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) algorithm and binary exponential random backoff. In this paper, we propose a modified DCF integrating the IEEE 802.11 MAC and the characteristic of device recharging model. A three-dimensional Markov chain is then constructed to evaluate the network performance of the modified DCF, such as throughput and delay. The proposed model addresses essential characteristics of an energy harvesting network and contributes to further study on MAC protocol in energy harvesting networks.