Effects of communication on mobile sensor networks

Abstract

The vague assumption of a fixed communication range has facilitated the development of major areas of study in mobile sensor networks such as connectivity, coverage, and self-deployment algorithms by providing a stable element as a foundation for their analysis, but more precise communication model is required in order to convert theoretical simulations into realistic applications. This paper studies the effects of more realistic communication models on mobile sensor networks/Ad-hoc networks taking into consideration multi-access interference and noise and their impact on the communication range of the nodes. The study shows that the communication range changes with the characteristics of the network (network parameters and node distribution). Simulation results justify our findings and future research directions are discussed. © 2006 IEEE.