Performance analysis of random multiple access protocols used in wireless communication

A Multiple Access Protocol is an access mechanism and a set of rules for successful transmission of information using a common medium. In this paper, the multiple access protocols studied are those used in communication systems in which the resource to be shared is the communication channel. For wireless communication efficient resource utilization relies upon effective sharing of the available medium. Contention based random multiple access protocols, specifically the repeated contention based random multiple access protocols such as pure-ALOHA, slotted-ALOHA, Carrier Sense Multiple Access and Inhibit Sense Multiple Access protocols, are studied and the results presented. The protocols have been evaluated based on the quality of service parameters such as offered traffic, throughput, delay and capture effect. The simulations were carried out using MATLAB v7.0.