Setting radio transmission range using target problem to improve communication reachability and power saving

Abstract

Ad hoc networks can be composed entirely of mobile wireless terminals, and do not require permanent network infrastructure such as access points. They are considered a useful network configuration technology for various situations. For example, they are used to construct sensor networks in which distributed, inexpensive sensors monitor environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity. Further, ad hoc networks can be implemented after severe disasters that have disabled other network infrastructures. In general, ad hoc network terminals are battery powered. Therefore, extending network lifetime by reducing terminal power consumption is an important issue in ad hoc network management. One method for reducing power consumption involves reducing the radio transmission range of each terminal. However, reducing the radio transmission range causes degradation in the reachability of each terminal. In this paper, we propose a method to set ad hoc network radio transmission ranges using a Target problem, to reduce power consumption and increase each terminal’s reachability. Next, we evaluate our method using various routing protocols, and define the applicability of our proposed method for each protocol. Simulation results show that the proposal improves communication reachability and power savings in ad hoc networks with normally distributed terminals, when the Destination- Sequenced Distance-Vector (DSDV) routing protocol is used.