IEEE 802.11 optimal performances: RTS/CTS mechanism vs. basic access

We address the throughput analysis of high-speed IEEE 802.11b WLANs from both an analytical and a simulative perspective. Specifically, we derive the throughput formula for the RTS/CTS access method of the p-persistent IEEE 802.11b MAC protocol. The accuracy of the proposed model is exhaustively validated via simulation results. By exploiting our formulas, we derive the theoretical upper bound for the throughput performance of the IEEE 802.11b protocol. Our analytical and simulative results indicated that the RTS/CTS mechanism produces very limited advantages in the standard IEEE 802.11 networks with respect to the basic access when no hidden stations are present. Finally, we extend a distributed backoff-tuning strategy firstly proposed for the basic access method, and we validate its effectiveness to approach closely the throughput limit of the IEEE 802.11b protocol.