An energy efficient select optimal neighbor protocol for wireless ad hoc networks

Abstract

We propose two location-aware select optimal neighbor (SON) algorithms that are suitable for CSMA/CA based MAC protocols for wireless ad hoc networks. Both algorithms optimize the energy efficiency by reducing the effective number of neighbors and thus reduce the transmission power as well as the overhearing power consumption at irrelevant receivers. NS-2 simulations show that our algorithms can achieve about 28% and 38% average energy savings per node compared to CSMA/CA based MAC protocols such as IEEE 802.11.