∗

Z-MAC: a Hybrid MAC for Wireless Sensor Networks

Ajit Warrier, Jeongki Min and Injong Rhee

Department of Computer Science
North Carolina State University
NC, Raleigh - 27695
{acwarrie,jkmin,rhee}@csc.ncsu.edu

ABSTRACT 1. INTRODUCTION
Z-MAC is a hybrid MAC protocol for wireless sensor net- In wireless sensor networks, CSMA, such as SMAC [4] and
works. It combines the strengths of TDMA and CSMA while BMAC [1], is most commonly used due to its simplicity, flex-
offsetting their weaknesses. Nodes are assigned time slots us- ibility and robustness. It does not require clock synchroniza-
ing a distributed implementation of RAND. Unlike TDMA tion or topology information, and dynamic node join/leave
where a node is allowed to transmit only during its own as- is handled gracefully without any extra cost. However these
signed slots, a node can transmit in both its own time slots features come at the cost of trial and error – a trial may cost
and slots assigned to other nodes. Owners of the current access collision where more than two “conflicting” nodes
time slot always have priority in accessing the channel over transmit at the same time causing signal fidelity degrada-
non-owners. Therefore, under low contention where not all tion at destinations. Collision is particularly more costly
owners have data to send, non-owners can “steal” time slots for sensor networks because it wastes energy as neighbor-
from owners. This has the effect of switching between CSMA ing nodes may be engaged in idle listening for unsuccess-
and TDMA depending on contention. Z-MAC is robust to ful transmission. Because of collision, CSMA severely de-
topology changes and clock synchronization errors; in the grades its data throughput and wastes energy under high
worst case its performance falls back to that of CSMA. We contention. Hidden terminals are the primary cause of colli-
implemented Z-MAC in TinyOS and evaluated its channel sion. Although RTS/CTS can help solve the hidden terminal
utilization, energy, latency and fairness over single-hop, two- problem, the scheme still incurs high overhead in sensor net-
hop and multi-hop sensor network topologies constructed works because data packets are typically very small. A re-
using Mica2. The result shows that Z-MAC has remarkably cent benchmark test [1] indicates that RTS/CTS reduces the
better data throughput than existing sensor MAC protocols effective throughput of B-MAC, the default MAC of Mica2,
while consuming comparable energy (over three times better by over 75%.
throughput under high contention). TDMA solves the hidden terminal problem by scheduling
transmission times of conflicting nodes at different times.
However, developing an efficient schedule with high degree
Categories and Subject Descriptors of concurrency is very hard (i.e., NP-hard [2]). Further-
C.2.1 [Network Architecture and Design]: Wireless more, it does not adapt to time varying dynamics of the net-
communication works such as node failures, topology changes, and time syn-
chronization errors. Finally, during low contention, TDMA
gives much lower channel utilization and higher delays than
General Terms CSMA since a node can transmit only during its scheduled
Experimentation, Performance, Algorithms time slots.

Keywords 2. Z-MAC
Wireless Sensor Networks, Medium Access Control, Network We present a new hybrid MAC scheme - Z-MAC, for
Performance sensor networks. Z-MAC behaves like CSMA under low
contention and like TDMA under high contention. Unlike
∗A full version of this paper can be found at TDMA, it is robust to dynamic topology changes and time
http://www.csc.ncsu.edu/faculty/rhee/export/zmac synchronization failures commonly appearing in sensor net-
works. It also handles hidden terminals with very little over-
head, unlike CSMA.
We use DRAND, an efficient scalable channel scheduling
Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for algorithm [3]. DRAND is the first distributed implementa-
personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are tion of RAND [2], a well-known centralized channel reuse
not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies scheduling algorithm, and thus achieves the same channel
bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise, to efficiency as RAND but only with O(δ) average message
republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific and running time complexities. δ is the number of two-
permission and/or a fee.
SIGCOMM ’05 Philadelphia, PA, USA hop neighbors (so its performance depends only on the local
Copyright 200X ACM X-XXXXX-XX-X/XX/XX ...$5.00. properties of the network). After the slot assignment, each
 One Hop Throughput Two Hop Throughput - Low Power
12 12
Z-MAC To = 8, Tno = 32 B-MAC-Initial = 32, Congestion = 16
BMAC-Initial = 16, Congestion = 64 Z-MAC-HCL - To = 8, Tno = 32
Z-MAC-unsynched - To = 8, Tno = 32 Z-MAC-LCL - To = 8, Tno = 32
B-MAC-Initial = 0, Congestion = 16 Z-MAC-unsynched - To = 8, Tno = 32
10 B-MAC-Initial = 32, Congestion = 16 10 B-MAC-Initial = 16, Congestion = 64

8 8
Throughput Kbps

Throughput Kbps
6 6

4 4

2 2

0 0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Number of Sources/Contenders Number of Sources/Contenders

Figure 1: The data throughput in one-hop (left) and two-hop (right) environment with different congestion
window sizes and no duty cycle.

node reuses its assigned slot periodically in every predeter- high channel utilization, low overhead, quality of service),
mined period, called time frame. We call a node assigned and that of CSMA under low contention (i.e., high channel
to a time slot an owner of that slot and the others the non- utilization, low delay).
owners of that slot. There can be more than one owner per
slot because DRAND allows any two nodes separated by 3. PERFORMANCE RESULTS
more than two hops to own the same time slot.
Z-MAC has been implemented in TinyOS. Experiments
In Z-MAC, a node may transmit at any time slot. As in
were conducted on Mica2 motes. Single-hop and two-hop en-
CSMA, before a node transmits in a slot, it always performs
vironments were created by varying the transmission power
carrier-sensing and transmits a packet when the channel is
of n motes sending as fast as they can to a single source.
clear. However, an owner of that slot has priority over its
We present the results comparing the channel utilization of
non-owners in accessing the channel. The priority is imple-
Z-MAC with B-MAC (Figure 1). The energy and latency
mented by adjusting the initial backoff period; higher pri-
of Z-MAC are comparable to those of BMAC whose results
ority nodes have shorter backoff periods. The goal is that
can be found in the full poster. Figure 1 shows that Z-MAC
during the slots where owners have data to transmit, Z-MAC
achieves more than 3 times the throughput of B-MAC un-
reduces the chance of collision since owners are given earlier
der high contention, especially in the two-hop case, where
chances to transmit and their slots are scheduled a priori
the hidden terminal problem manifests itself. This result in-
to avoid collision, but when a slot is not in use by its own-
cludes the overhead of clock synchronization. It also shows
ers, non-owners can steal the slot. This priority scheme has
the performance of Z-MAC when the clocks are not synchro-
an effect of implicitly switching between CSMA and TDMA
nized (denoted Z-MAC-unsynched) whose throughput is in
depending on the level of contention.
fact better than that of B-MAC.
In Z-MAC, a node can also explicitly switch between two
modes of operation depending on the current level of net-
work contention. Under low contention, non-owners are al- 4. REFERENCES
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