On the Effectiveness of Cooperative Diversity in Ad Hoc Networks: A MAC Layer Study

We investigate the effectiveness of cooperative diversity in interference limited ad hoc networks. The underlying cooperative techniques exploit space diversity through cooperative terminals’ relaying signals for one another. We develop relay selection policy and channel allocation scheme to provide contention-free transmissions while acquiring capacity benefits from cooperative diversity. Extensive simulation results show that careless/selfish usage of cooperative relays yields higher connection blocking probabilities. A proper source allocation scheme is essential to balance the tradeoff between cooperative diversity and interference mitigation.