Cross-link RTS/CTS for MLO mm-Wave WLANs

The directional RTS/CTS mechanism of mm-wave Wi-Fi hardly resolves the hidden terminal problem perfectly. This paper proposes cross-link RTS/CTS under multi-link operation (MLO) to address this problem and introduces a novel point process, named the generalized RTS/CTS hard-core process (G-HCP), to model the spatial transceiver relationships under the RTS/CTS mechanism, including the directional case and the omnidirectional case. Analytical expressions are derived for the intensity, the mean interference, an approximation of the success probability, and the expected number of hidden nodes for the directional RTS/CTS mechanism. Theoretical and numerical results demonstrate the performance difference between two RTS/CTS mechanisms. The cross-link RTS/CTS mechanism ensures higher link quality at the cost of reduced network throughput. In contrast, the directional RTS/CTS sacrifices the link quality for higher throughput. Our study reveals a fundamental trade-off between link reliability and network throughput, providing critical insights into the selection and optimization of RTS/CTS mechanisms in next-generation WLAN standards.