Wang’s Study Supports Helpful Guidelines for Wireless Networks

New research by TSYS School of Computer Science associate professor Lixin Wang examines the impact of radio irregularities on network connectivity under a realistic shadowing model.  Given that prior research showing that connectivity increases as radio waves becomes more irregular is based solely on simulation studies, or ignores the important boundary effect, it offers limited application for any practical wireless network.  This is where Wang’s new study, which appears in a future issue of Ad Hoc & Sensor Wireless Networks, steps in, as it investigates the impact of radio irregularity on network connectivity with different transmission power settings, taking the important boundary effect into consideration.  Wang’s shadowing model indicates that when each node transmits at a fixed uniform power, network connectivity increases as radio wave movement becomes more irregular.  His shadowing model also indicates that when each node transmits at an adjustable power, so that the average node degree of the network is kept constant, the expected number of isolated nodes in the network is also unchanged.  Thus, the results in Wang’s study may prove useful in designing guidelines for all practical multihop wireless networks in which both the shadowing and boundary effects must be taken into consideration.