MAC Protocol Analysis for Wireless Sensor Networks

Huanan Zhang, Feng Wang

OAI: oai:igi-global.com:298617 • DOI: 10.4018/JITR.298617

In wireless sensor networks, MAC protocol is used to achieve efficient, fair and balanced allocation of wireless channel resources and access control of nodes in the network, and to control the communication process of nodes in the network. The energy consumption of wireless sensor nodes is mainly concentrated in the communication unit, including: data transceiver, idle listening, protocol control overhead, etc. A good MAC protocol is beneficial to reduce unnecessary energy consumption and enhance node life time. At the same time, MAC protocol, as the bottom protocol of wireless sensor network, provides a stable and reliable communication foundation for the realization of the upper protocol. Therefore, a large number of scholars at home and abroad have carried out extensive and in-depth research on MAC layer protocol of network. In this paper, the research process and progress of MAC layer protocol in wireless sensor networks are analyzed, and the research progress of MAC layer protocol in multi-radio frequency and multi-channel wireless sensor networks is analyzed.