An ADAP-MAC Protocol for Medium Access Control in Underwater Sensor Communication Networks

Abstract

In underwater communication networks, utilizing bandwidth resources and decreasing collisions due to long propagation delays to improve transmission efficiency and extend the operational lifespan of network nodes of network nodes is necessary. The most widely used Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols in these networks include Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA), contention-free, and contention-based MAC protocols, which can operate synchronously or asynchronously. Maximizing channel resource utilization and minimizing collisions remain challenges across these MAC protocol categories. In this study, we propose a MAC protocol that integrates carrier sensing with contention-free and contention-based protocols to leverage the strengths of each approach called ADAP-MAC protocol. An adaptive Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) algorithm combined with a power optimization method is also used to avoid collisions and save energy.  We will simulate and evaluate the performance of the proposed protocol by measuring key parameters such as the successful packet transmission efficiency of network nodes, the number of packet retransmissions due to collisions at the receiving node, transmission distance, and power consumption for packet transmission. The simulation results will be compared with those of traditional protocols to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in maximizing channel resource utilization and minimizing collisions.