MAC Layer Misbehavior on Ad Hoc Networks

One of the major challenges in ad hoc networks is to ensure nodal collaboration. Nevertheless, collaboration may lead to undesired results when nodes can exploit their siblings for their own benefits. Until recently, the research community focused on ensuring nodal cooperation at the network layer. In this work we focus on node behavior at the medium access control (MAC) layer. more specifically, this work focus on mechanisms to evaluate nodal activity and verify whether a node is adhering to the protocol rules or not. We show that misconduct at the MAC layer can have serious implications in terms of throughput. Our main contribution is a mechanism that enables nodes to monitor neighboring activity and assess their conduct based on the observed information.