MAC layer functions for SLEF

We develop three functions around the MAC layer: (1) Pseudo broadcast is a technique used to improve throughput of broadcast transmissions in case of congested networks. The mechanism consists in sending a packet in unicast to a station using RTS/CTS. Other stations will receive the packet by capturing all the frames that are transmitted on the network, even if they are not directed to them. (2) The injection rate of packets in the MAC layer has to be controlled. The application must not be allowed to deliver to the MAC layer more packets than the number that can be sent by the network adapter. It is also necessary to know the nominal rate of the network. (3) An indication of activity on the network has to be provided. This function has to detect the activity of other SLEF stations in the neighborhood. The address of the last transmitting station and the time of transmission have to be provided. The implementation is carried out using JAVA and native native code and it is portable across all operating systems and wireless cards.