Distributed Point Coordination Function for Wireless Ad hoc Networks

In this paper we describe a new MAC protocol for ad hoc networks called distributed point coordination function (DPCF). It constitutes an extension of the PCF of the IEEE 802.11 standard to operate over infrastructureless networks. It combines both the operation of DCF and PCF. Users get access to the channel through the DCF function. However, once they get access to the channel, they establish a virtual cluster where the PCF coordination function can be executed. The performance of DPCF in single-hop and multi-hop ad hoc networks has been evaluated by means of link-level computer simulation. The results show that DPCF outperforms DCF in terms of throughput and average transmission delay when executed in networks without infrastructure.