Carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA)

GHOSTRIDER2016

Chaps,

Articles I read refer to CSMA/CA in the context of WIFI. That its more of a preventative medicine that checks that the channel is clear before sending the packet. Alot of articles I read they refer to it in the context of WIFI and not cabled networks.

Is CSMA/CA specific to WIFI ?

Thanks

OctalDump

Yes, CSMA/CA is specific to WiFi. This is because it isn't possible for wifi networks to detect collisions, so they can only avoid them. Older Ethernet networks had a similarly named function called CSMA/CD - Carrier sense multiple access with collision detection. This allowed them to detect collisions of frames on multiple access networks ie when two nodes were sending at the same time, and then to back off before trying to send again.