Implementation and Evaluation of an uncoordinated Aloha-based MAC Protocol for an UWB Ad-hoc Network Simulator

The purpose of this thesis is the implementation and evaluation of a MAC Layer in a network simulator for the research in the Ultra Wide Band eld. Ultra Wide Band is a technology consisting in the transmission of very short pulses which allow the communications with a very low power consumption at high data rates and without interfering other existing systems. This technology is based on techniques of Impulse Radio transmissions used in the radar eld and therefore has strong penetrating and high resolution position location capabilities. These properties make the UWB signal a good solution for many different applications. It is appropriated for Wireless Personal Area and Sensor Networks, since the devices in these scenarios are supposed to work with limited batteries. Principally, networking protocols for UWB networks are in many ways similar to those appro-priate for other wireless networks. However, since the design of an efcient MAC often requires an accurate knowledge of the physical layer, the particular characteristics of the UWB physical channel motivate some changes, especially in the data link layer (LLC and MAC). In the case of UWB systems, the cross-layer design paradigm is a crucial issue due to the particular potentials and challenges of UWB technology, e.g. the precise ranging capability, or the difculties in per