Technology of Neighbor Discovery for Networks

Abstract

Neighbor discovery is one of the basic technologies of mobile information service for networks. It is the key to discover the surrounding nodes at the data link layer and organize the network effectively. Firstly, this chapter introduces the basic concept and the development of neighbor discovery in detail. According to popular social application scenarios, efficient neighbor discovery algorithms (Erupt and Centron) are introduced. In these algorithms, the Erupt algorithm divides the nodes into two categories according to their roles: the sponsor node and the participant node. Using a recession strategy, the sponsor consumes more energy in exchange for higher discovery efficiency. By creating a core group, the Centron algorithm solves the problem that communications between nodes will be affected by frequent collisions in the crowded region, which reduces the efficiency of discovery. The above algorithms are proved to be efficient in terms of energy, efficiency, and delay. Besides, these algorithms can provide inspirations for how to design better neighbor discovery algorithms in the future.