Performance Analysis of Cooperative MAC in IEEE 802.11n for Multiclass Traffic

An analytical formulation of the saturated throughput of a Cooperative MAC in IEEE 802.11n for multiclass traffic is presented. A helper node is used to relay packets from the source node or access point (AP) to the destination node within a circular coverage. The analytical framework is formulated for N classes, K data rates and their corresponding K distances. The saturated throughput analysis for multiclass traffic is formulated using a two- dimensional discrete-time Markov chain rather than using an approximation. The critical probability that a helper node exists in a region to relay a packet is explicitly derived. Closed-form result for the saturated delay is also derived. Numerical results of the saturated throughput corresponding to typical parameter values are presented. The results show that the total saturated throughput using Cooperative MAC can be better than that of IEEE 802.11n using direct transmissions by up to 67% and the saturated delays using Cooperative MAC are also better than those of IEEE 802.11n.