Improving sensor network convergecast performance with directional antennas.

Abstract

The use of directional antennas for wireless communications brings several benefits like increased communication range and reduced interference. One example of directional antennas are electronically-switched directional (ESD) antennas that can easily be integrated intoWireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) due to their small size and low cost. However, current literature questions the benefits of using ESD antennas in WSN due to the increased likelihood of hidden terminals and increased power consumption. This is mainly because earlier studies have used directionality for transmissions but not for reception. In this paper we introduce novel full stack optimizations in order to fully utilize the benefits of using directional antennas. We modify theMAC, routing and neighbor discovery mechanisms to support directional communication. We focus on convergecast investigating a large number of different network topologies. Our simulation results show that in networks with dense traffic, directional antennas achieve up to 24% higher packet delivery rates, a 55% decrease in energy consumption, and a 46% decrease in the energy per received packet.