Distributed node-based transmission power control for wireless ad hoc networks

Abstract

Transmission power control at individual nodes is used in wireless ad hoc networks for reducing interference and energy consumption. In this paper, two new distributed node-based power control techniques have been proposed to cope up with two different situations, one for lifetime-critical networks with nodes having less mobility, and the other for networks with mobility-prone nodes. The first algorithm is based on the idea of minimum spanning tree (MST) computation. It takes O(n) rounds (n is the total number of nodes), and results better optimization in terms of node power levels. The lower transmission power of nodes makes it suitable for lifespan-critical networks. But O(n) time complexity limits its application to networks with nodes having high mobility causing frequent topology changes. However, it will be suitable for wireless sensor networks where, after the deployment, nodes become more or less static but lifetime remains to be a critical issue. The second one is based on neighbor pruning scheme that completes transmission power assignment in two rounds of message passing only. Though in terms of the node power levels, the first algorithm performs better, with less computational complexity the second one can easily adapt to the topology changes caused by the mobility of the nodes, and hence is suitable for mobile networks. Simulation studies have been done to compare the performances in terms of different performance metrics.