Analysis and Evaluation of Channel-Hopping-Based MAC in Industrial IoT Environment

Abstract

Owing to the development of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) paradigm, channel hopping is the most widely used method for solving multipath fading problem caused by various structures in industrial environments or by external interference of communication devices using the same frequency band. To meet these demands, IPv6 over the time slotted channel hopping (TSCH) mode of IEEE 802.15.4e (6TiSCH) has emerged as the standard for low power lossy networks in industrial IoT environments. TSCH supports slot-based channel hopping with the IEEE 802.15.4e standard and ensures reliable connection from external interference through strong time synchronization. Wireless Smart Utility Network (Wi- SUN), which constructs a Field Area Network (FAN), proposes non-slotted channel hopping and specifies only minimum constraints. However, there is limited existing research on these networks. Therefore, in this study, we analyze and evaluate the performance of channel-hopping-based medium access control (MAC) in an industrial environment. Simulation results in various environments show that non-competitive MAC provides reliable and efficient transmission.