Wireless networks are less reliable than wired networks because channels are “exposed” to the surrounding environment that is susceptible to interference and noise. To minimize losses of data due to collisions, wireless networks need a mechanism to regulate the access on the transmission medium. Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols control access to the shared communication medium so that it can be used efficiently. In this thesis, we first describe the collision-controlled Dual Prohibition Multiple Access (DPMA) protocol [45]. The main mechanisms implemented in DPMA, such as binary dual prohibition, power control, interference control, and support for differentiated services (DiffServ), are presented in detail. We conducted a thorough simulation study on DPMA protocol from several aspects. First, we conduct simulations to observe the effects of binary competition number (BCN), unit slot length and safe margin on the performance of DPMA. Secondly, the DiffServ capability of DPMA is demonstrated through simulation results. Finally, we compare the DPMA protocol with the CSMA/CA protocol and find that DPMA with optimal configuration has better performance than CSMA/CA under both low and high network density. / Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-28 16:25:02.515

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[pt] Com o rápido crescimento da Internet das Coisas (IoT), surgiram novas tecnologias de comunicação sem fio para atender aos requisitos de longo alcance, baixo custo e baixo consumo de energia exigidos pelos aplicativos de IoT. Nesse contexto, surgiram as redes de longa distância de baixa potência (LPWANs), as quais oferecem diferentes soluções que atendem aos requisitos dos aplicativos de IoT mencionados anteriormente. Entre as soluções LPWAN existentes, o LoRaWAN tem-se destacado por receber atenção significativa da indústria e da academia nos últimos anos. Embora o LoRaWAN ofereça uma combinação atraente de transmissões de dados de longo alcance e baixo consumo de energia, ele ainda enfrenta vários desafios em termos de confiabilidade e escalabilidade. No entanto, devido a sua natureza de código aberto e à flexibilidade do esquema de modulação no qual ele se baseia (Long Range (LoRa) permite o ajuste de fatores de espalhamento e a potência de transmissão), o LoRaWAN também oferece importantes possibilidades de melhorias. Esta dissertação aproveita a adequação dos algoritmos de Aprendizagem por Reforço (RL) para resolver tarefas de tomada de decisão e os utiliza para ajustar dinamicamente os parâmetros de transmissão dos dispositivos finais LoRaWAN. O sistema proposto, chamado RL-LoRa, mostra melhorias significativas em termos de confiabilidade e escalabilidade quando comparado ao LoRaWAN. Especificamente, diminui a taxa de erro de pacote (PER) média do LoRaWAN em 15 porcento, o que pode aumentar ainda mais a escalabilidade da rede. / [en] With the massive growth of the Internet of Things (IoT), novel wireless communication technologies have emerged to address the long-range, lowcost, and low-power consumption requirements of the IoT applications. In this context, the Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWANs) have appeared, offering different solutions that meet the IoT applications requirements mentioned before. Among the existing LPWAN solutions, LoRaWAN has stood out for receiving significant attention from both industry and academia in recent years. Although LoRaWAN offers a compelling combination of long-range and low-power consumption data transmissions, it still faces several challenges in terms of reliability and scalability. However, due to its open-source nature and the flexibility of the modulation scheme it is based on (Long Range (LoRa) modulation allows the adjustment of spreading factors and transmit power), LoRaWAN also offers important possibilities for improvements. This thesis takes advantage of the appropriateness of the Reinforcement Learning (RL) algorithms for solving decision-making tasks, and use them to dynamically adjust the transmission parameters of LoRaWAN end devices. The proposed system, called RL-LoRa, shows significant improvements in terms of reliability and scalability when compared with LoRaWAN. Specifically, it decreases the average Packet Error Ratio (PER) of LoRaWAN by 15 percent, which can further increase the network scalability.