Energy Optimization in Multihop Wireless Embedded and Sensor Networks

This paper provides an analytical model for the study of energy consumption in multihop wireless embedded and sensor networks where nodes are extremely power constrained. Low-power optimization techniques developed for conventional ad hoc networks are not sufficient as they do not properly address particular features of embedded and sensor networks. It is not enough to reduce overall energy consumption, it is also important to maximize the lifetime of the entire network, that is, maintain full network connectivity for as long as possible. This paper considers different multihop scenarios to compute the energy per bit, efficiency and energy consumed by individual nodes and the network as a whole. The analysis uses a detailed model for the energy consumed by the radio at each node. Multihop topologies with equidistant and optimal node spacing are studied. Numerical computations illustrate the effects of packet routing, and explore the effects of coding and medium access control. These results show that always using a simple multihop message relay strategy is not always the best procedure.