Analysis of link-layer backoff schemes on point-to-point Markov fading links

Abstract

Backoff algorithms are typically employed in multiple-access networks (e.g., Ethernet) to recover from packet collisions. We propose and carry out the analysis for three types of link-layer backoff schemes, namely linear backoff, exponential backoff, and geometric backoff, on point-to-point wireless fading links where packet errors occur non-independently. In such a scenario, the backoff schemes are shown to achieve better energy efficiency without compromising much on the link layer throughput performance.