In this paper, we propose a cross-layer protocol that is based on a form of cooperative transmission called Virtual Multi-Input Single-Output (VMISO). Specifically, we discuss the influence of rate, cluster size, and transmission range of the VMISO link on the whole performance improvements, where the key physical layer property that we focus on is an enlarged transmission range due to cooperative diversity. Further, the new protocol, termed the Joint Cross-layer Cooperative Transmission Protocol (JCCTP) including the VMISO routing protocol and the novel MAC protocol, presents the distributed approach of using VMISO links with a fixed cluster size, a given rate, and a certain transmission range, where we leverage the translation of physical layer advantages into higher layer better performances. Finally, we evaluate JCCTP with a flat Rayleigh fading channel model that accurately captures the nature of VMISO transmissions. As compared to using only SISO links and other VMISO links, our work achieves a great increase in the end-to-end throughput and a sharp decline in the end-to-end delay.
