Analysis and optimisation of link-layer protocol in Gb/s infrared links

A combined analytical and simulation framework is presented for study of the link-layer protocol that is currently used to control the operation of Gb/s infrared links in optical-wireless-based personal communication systems. The analytical and simulation methods are utilised to evaluate protocol efficiency and demonstrate that protocol performance is strongly affected by physical layer parameters including the bit-error-rate and the link turnaround time. The networking parameters, such as the protocol window and frame size, that optimise the protocol operation against any given physical layer arrangement are also determined.