Analytic modeling of ad hoc 802.11 networks with hidden nodes applied to a split channel solution for performance improvement

Several simulation studies have shown that the performance of IEEE 802.11 DCF in an ad hoc scenario strongly depends on the coverage and interference radii. We state and solve an analytical model for an 802.11 DCF ad hoc network, with an interference radius larger than the coverage radius. The model is developed for the study of a split channel solution, where RTS/CTS signaling is conveyed via a separate, orthogonal channel with respect to data and ACK frames. By exploiting the model we can optimize the bandwidth split of the control and data channels. Further, we compare single channel, split channel and multichannel solutions, thus highlighting that the simple split channel achieves most of the performance advantage potentially offered by a multi-channel 802.11 DCF.