Space-Frequency Diversity based MAC protocol for IEEE 802.11 ah networks

IEEE 802.11ah is a sub-GHz communication technology to offer longer range and low power connectivity for the Internet of Things (IoT) applications. A Restricted Access Window (RAW) is specified to decrease the collision probability. Stations are divided into groups and stations from each group attempt to access the channel by employing the Distributed Coordination Function during their assigned RAW slots. However, the network throughput is limited by a single channel MAC protocol. In this paper, Space-Frequency Diversity-based MAC protocol for the IEEE 802.11ah network (SF-MAC protocol) is proposed to allow stations of different sectors to transmit packets on different channels with the help of Forwarders. The proposed SF-MAC protocol improves the packet delivery ratio and aggregate throughput of the network.