Throughput behavior of the n-ary stack algorithm in mobile networks with capture

Abstract

The emergence of wireless and personal communication networks has brought random access protocols for packet radio networks back to the research forefronts. Most such protocols are based on the ever popular ALOHA protocol. Unfortunately, this protocol is inherently unstable and requires sophisticated schemes to stabilize it. Another class of random access schemes, called limited sensing or stack algorithms, has been proposed that is stable and allows for the dynamic incorporation of new stations into the network. In this paper, we will review the simple to implement n-ary Stack Algorithm, and we will demonstrate its performance in the presence of capture under various system parameters. As a by-product of this work, we will show that random access schemes have throughput conditions that are sensitive to the traffic generation process.