In the wireless sensor networks domain, one of the most used standards is IEEE 802.15.4. This standard has been made available on many low power operating systems such as TinyOS and Contiki OS. It is crucial for the implementation to be compliant with the specifications of the standard. In the case of Contiki OS, the provided version of the main medium access algorithm, unslotted Carrier Sensing Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA), presents many flaws. In this paper, we discuss the implementation of the provided CSMA/CA algorithm and we point out to the parts that do not respect the standard specifications. We also propose and implement a compliant version of this algorithm and show through simulation the correctness of the implementation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.