On Carrier Sensing Accuracy and Range Scaling Laws in Nakagami Fading Channels

We make a detailed study on carrier sensing of 802.11 in Nakagami fading channels. We prove that to maximize sensing accuracy, the optimal channel accessing probability is solely determined by the path-loss SIR (Signal to Interference Ratio). We define pfail-interference range and pbusy-carrier sensing range for fading channels and prove that their scaling laws in Nakagami fading channels are similar to those in the static channel. The newly derived theoretical results show a unified property between the static and fading channels. By extensive simulations, we reveal that fading depresses the probability of a dominating transmission state, and therefore it can mitigate severe hidden and exposed terminal problems, but fading harms the average sensing accuracy for an optimally adjusted carrier sensing threshold.