PAMAS—power aware multi-access protocol with signalling for ad hoc networks

Abstract

In this paper we develop a new multiaccess protocol for ad hoc radio networks. The protocol is based on the original MACA protocol with the adition of a separate signalling channel. The unique feature of our protocol is that it conserves battery power at nodes by intelligently powering off nodes that are not actively transmitting or receiving packets. The manner in which nodes power themselves off does not influence the delay or throughput characteristics of our protocol. We illustrate the power conserving behavior of PAMAS via extensive simulations performed over ad hoc networks containing 10-20 nodes. Our results indicate that power savings of between 10% and 70% are attainable in most systems. Finally, we discuss how the idea of power awareness can be built into other multiaccess protocols as well.