Affiliations: University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
53201, USA | Johnson Controls, Milwaukee, WI 53202, USA
Note: [] Corresponding author: M. Goyal, EMS919, UW Milwaukee, 3200 N
Cramer Street, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA. Tel.: +1 414 229 5001; Fax: +1 414 229
6958; E-mail: mukul@uwm.edu
Abstract: IEEE 802.15.4, a MAC/PHY protocol for low power and low data rate
wireless networks, is emerging as the popular choice for various monitoring and
control applications. Depending on the application, the traffic load on an IEEE
802.15.4 network may vary over a wide range. The performance of the protocol,
measured in terms of the packet loss probability and the packet latency,
depends upon the prevailing traffic load among the nodes competing for channel
access, the level of interference from the hidden nodes and the configuration
of IEEE 802.15.4 MAC parameters. In this paper, we analyze via simulations the
impact of different configurable MAC parameters on the performance of
beaconless IEEE 802.15.4 networks under different traffic loads and under
different levels of interference from the hidden nodes. Based on this analysis,
we suggest the values of IEEE 802.15.4 MAC parameters that results in a good
tradeoff between the packet loss probability and the packet latency under
different conditions.