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Medium Access Control: - MAC Belongs To Data Link Control Layer

The document discusses medium access control (MAC) which belongs to the data link layer. It explores applying media access methods from fixed networks to wireless networks and the problems that arise due to signal strength decreasing with distance and hidden/exposed terminals. Finally, it outlines spatial (SDMA), frequency (FDMA), and time (TDMA) division multiple access schemes that are used to control medium access in wireless networks.

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Praveen Yadav
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59 views7 pages

Medium Access Control: - MAC Belongs To Data Link Control Layer

The document discusses medium access control (MAC) which belongs to the data link layer. It explores applying media access methods from fixed networks to wireless networks and the problems that arise due to signal strength decreasing with distance and hidden/exposed terminals. Finally, it outlines spatial (SDMA), frequency (FDMA), and time (TDMA) division multiple access schemes that are used to control medium access in wireless networks.

Uploaded by

Praveen Yadav
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Medium access control

• MAC belongs to data link control Layer.

Logical link DLC


control MAC Layer
(LLC)
(Layer 2b)
Lay (Layer 2a)

er
Motivation

• Can we apply media access methods from fixed networks?

• Example CSMA/CD
– Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection
– send as soon as the medium is free, listen into the medium if a
collision occurs (original method in IEEE 802.3)
• Problems in wireless networks
– signal strength decreases proportional to the square of the distance
– the sender would apply CS and CD, but the collisions happen at the
receiver
– it might be the case that a sender cannot “hear” the collision, i.e.,
CD does not work
– furthermore, CS might not work if, e.g., a terminal is “hidden”
Motivation - hidden and exposed terminals
• Hidden terminals
– A sends to B, C cannot receive A
– C wants to send to B, C senses a “free” medium (CS fails)
– collision at B, A cannot receive the collision (CD fails)
– A is “hidden” for C

• Exposed terminals A B C

– B sends to A, C wants to send to another terminal (not A or B)


– C has to wait, CS signals a medium in use
– but A is outside the radio range of C, therefore waiting is not
necessary
– C is “exposed” to B
Motivation - near and far terminals
• Terminals A and B send, C receives
– signal strength decreases proportional to the square of the
distance
– the signal of terminal B therefore drowns out A’s signal
– C cannot receive A

A B C

• If C for example was an arbiter for sending rights, terminal B would


drown out terminal A already on the physical layer
• Also severe problem for CDMA-networks - precise power control
needed!
Access methods SDMA/FDMA/TDMA
• SDMA (Space Division Multiple Access)
– segment space into sectors, use directed antennas
– cell structure
• FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access)
– assign a certain frequency to a transmission channel between a sender
and a receiver
– permanent (e.g., radio broadcast), slow hopping (e.g., GSM), fast
hopping (FHSS, Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum)
• TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access)
– assign the fixed sending frequency to a transmission channel between
a sender and a receiver for a certain amount of time

• The multiplexing schemes presented in chapter 2 are now used to control


medium access!
FDD/FDMA - general scheme, example GSM

f
960 MHz 124

935.2 MHz 1 200 kHz

20 MHz
915 MHz 124

1
890.2 MHz
t
TDD/TDMA - general scheme, example DECT

417 µs

1 2 3 11 12 1 2 3 11 12
t
downlink uplink

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