Efficient Time Slot Recovery Protocol for Wireless Networks

Dense and resource-constrained wireless networks, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), pose significant challenges for Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols in addressing communication collisions and Quality of Service (QoS) issues. Interference and message collisions within communication channels are primary culprits behind network faults and energy wastage. Recent research has explored methods for enabling large-scale networks to communicate efficiently, utilizing local information and avoiding collisions through distributed and parallel distance-2 TDMA (Time-Division Multiple Access) coloring. However, a critical aspect that has been largely unexplored is how highly active nodes can utilize the time slots of less active neighbors without message exchanges, thereby enhancing network performance, especially in broadcasting emergency messages. In this paper, we introduce a distributed protocol designed to enhance communication and energy efficiency in wireless networks by effectively utilizing underused time slots from neighboring nodes. Our protocol enables more active nodes to efficiently recover these underused time slots, facilitating the rapid broadcast of urgent messages. We conclude by presenting and discussing experimental results to demonstrate the efficacy of our proposed solution.