A Novel Routing Protocol over Time-Varying IoT Network Using RTS/CTS Framework

In the context of 6G IoT networks, distributed computing has become a critical enabler for seamless communication across diverse sectors, such as smart manufacturing, intelligent transportation, healthcare, and defense. Many of these applications involve mobile IoT devices (IoDs) that change locations dynamically, requiring robust and efficient multi-hop data transmission frameworks. Selecting the optimal relay node in distributed 6G IoT networks is essential, as it directly impacts energy efficiency, latency, data interference, and throughput. Additionally, ensuring the availability of the relay node’s queue is crucial to prevent data loss. To address these challenges, this work introduces a novel distributed computing framework based on the Request-To-Send (RTS) and Clear-To-Send (CTS) protocols, specifically designed for time-varying 6G IoT networks. The framework incorporates an RTS/CTS mechanism to manage distributed data transfer and employs the Optimal Relay IoD Selection with Q-Learning (OptRISQL) algorithm to determine the optimal relay path dynamically. By distributing computation across nodes, the proposed approach enhances network flexibility, reduces queue sizes, and minimizes memory costs, leading to improved overall network efficiency. Simulation results demonstrate that this distributed computing method effectively reduces interference and enhances throughput, outperforming other current state-of-the-art techniques. Index Terms-6G Internet of Things (IoT), Distributed Computing, Request-To-Send (RTS), Clear-To-Send (CTS), Quality-of-Service (QoS).