  This paper describes a detailed performance evaluation of distributed Medium
Access Control (MAC) protocols for Wireless Sensor Networks based on Impulse
Radio Ultra Wideband (IR-UWB) Physical layer (PHY). Two main classes of Medium
Access Control protocol have been considered: Slotted and UnSlotted with
reliability. The reliability is based on Automatic Repeat ReQuest (ARQ). The
performance evaluation is performed using a complete Wireless Sensor Networks
(WSN) simulator built on the Global Mobile Information System Simulator
(GloMoSim). The optimal operating parameters are first discussed for IR-UWB in
terms of slot size, retransmission delay and the number of retransmission, then
a comparison between IR-UWB and other transmission techniques in terms of
reliability latency and power efficiency.
