Solving the near-far problem in CDMA-based ad hoc networks

In this paper, we propose a distributed CDMA-based medium access protocol for mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). Our approach accounts for multiple access interference (MAI) at the protocol level, thereby addressing the notorious near-far problem that undermines the throughput performance in MANETs. Collision avoidance information is inserted in the clear-to-send (CTS) packets and broadcasted over an out-of-band control channel. This information is used to dynamically bound the transmission power of possible interfering nodes in the vicinity of a receiver. Data packets are transmitted at a power level such that interference-limited simultaneous transmissions can take place in the vicinity of a receiving terminal without disturbing its reception. Simulation results indicate that the proposed protocol achieves a significant increase in network throughput relative to the 802.11 approach, at no additional cost in energy consumption. Finally, we show that variable processing gain may be used to increase the capacity of the proposed protocol.