Cross-layer analysis of IEEE 802.11 DCF in burst-error fading channels with diversity

Unlike wired networks, mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) encounter channel fading which causes burst-errors and induces packet errors in addition to those caused by collision using random access medium access control (MAC) protocols. Therefore, the MAC performance could be significantly lower than that in ideal channels. By incorporating channel fading statistics such as level crossintegrate (LCR) and average fade duration (AFD), we generate a new closed-form expression for packet error rates (PKR) in Ricean fading channels with and without diversity and forward error correction (FEC). Based on this result, we give an analytical model to evaluate the performance of IEEE 802.11 distributed coordinator functions (DCF) in fading channels. Both analytical and simulation results show that by employing diversity in fading channels, DCF can achieve nearly the same throughput and average delay as under ideal channel conditions, where forward error correction is generally ineffective when AFD is larger.