A Hybrid MAC Protocol for Wireless Sensor Network

Since it is very hard for cluster-based WSN (wireless sensor network) to implement efficient and secure communication either with CSMA or TDMA. In view of the existing situation, a STC-MAC protocol has been put forward, which mingled with CSMA and TDMA and brought about better bottom-layer security. On the one hand, the wireless channel allocated by TDMA in intra-cluster nodes is able to cope with collision and crosstalk to achieve low latency. On the other hand, with the allocation of CSMA between cluster-head nodes, the channel can avoid multiple hops synchronization and enhance scalability. Furthermore, an early-warning algorithm was provided in this protocol for quickly recognizing attacks and reinforcing security. In addition, the J-Sim simulation platform, especially including a energy output port, has been extended. Through the simulation results, STC-MAC turns out to be better in energy-efficiency and anti-attack than 802.11 MAC.