A self-adaptive protocol stack for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract

In this paper we propose the adoption of a selfadaptable cross-layer and modular Software Defined Communication Stack (SDCS) for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks. The SDCS is a modular stack solution which is capable to run different protocols at each layer of the network stack; a new component, named policy engine, autonomously and adaptively, as the operational conditions vary, selects the protocol of each layer so as to optimize application scenario metrics of interest, e.g., packet delivery ratio, end-to-end packet latency and energy consumption. As a proof of concept, the paper presents the design and performance evaluation of a policy engine to dynamically and autonomously change the MAC protocol adopted in Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks. The best MAC protocol is chosen according to network conditions and application requirements, without any a priori knowledge. We consider three different MAC protocols running in the SDCS: CSMA, T-Lohi and DACAP that represent the class of simple, intermediate and fully negotiated MAC protocols, respectively. The performance of the three protocols are first compared via simulations considering different network conditions, such as traffic load and packet size. Then, we evaluate the ability of our policy engine to dynamically estimate the network changes and then to select accordingly the best MAC protocol without any a priori knowledge. Results show the effectiveness of our solution in that it is always able to quickly find and choose the MAC protocol that optimizes a given metric in a particular scenario by introducing a really limited overhead in the network.

Q learning based adaptive protocol parameters for WSNs

“…In [9] it is shown that the MAC layer protocol needs to be selected according to the application scenario and the condition of the environment. Hence the authors have proposed to select the optimum MAC layer protocol according to the frequently varying condition of the underwater WSN using a software defined communication stack (SDCS).…”

Emerging IoT domains, current standings and open research challenges: a review

“…The proposed fusion architecture achieved improved packet delivery ratios to overcome multi-path fading and mobility challenges. Similarly, Di Valerio et al (2016) presented a self-adaptive protocol stack for underwater sensor networks to address some of the current research challenges in underwater communications. Multiple MAC protocols were chosen for the best-fit criteria.…”

Energy Efficiency Trade-Off Between Duty-Cycling and Wake-Up Radio Techniques in IoT Networks

“…where is the power contribution due to transmission of periodic beacon to indicate that the node is ready to receive data (14) P duty -cycle = P T_beacon + P IL_data + P IL_beacon (15)…”

“…Moreover, in recent years, a self-adaptive MAC protocols for WSN have been proposed [14]. The presented methodology can be effectively used in these protocols to find an optimum trade-off between various MAC layer parameters in order to find an optimum energy consumption level [15].…”