Random access game over noisy channels with capture effect

Abstract

This paper analyzes the behavior of selfish transmitters when they contend for the access of a noise impaired wireless channel with and without capture effect. We first focus on nodes with single packet detection capability contending for the access of a noisy wireless channel. We identify the effect of noise on selfish nodes' transmission probabilities. We show the existence of a critical threshold c*, which only depends on the noise distribution, such that if the cost of a packet failure is greater than c*, then backing-off is in transmitters' best-interest regardless of strategies of others. Otherwise, they may transmit, or back-off, or randomize among these two actions depending on their opponents' strategies. We finally turn our attention to channels with capture effect where it is possible to receive up to k packets simultaneously. We analyze the impact of such a capture effect on transmission probabilities of selfish nodes.