Home // International Journal On Advances in Networks and Services, volume 15, numbers 1 and 2, 2022 // View article

MAC and Network Layer Solutions for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks

Authors:
Anne-Lena Kampen
Roald Otnes

Keywords: UWSN; underwater wireless sensor networks; Medium Access Control MAC; underwater routing, survey.

Abstract:
The underwater acoustic environment poses challenges for communication that can make solutions from terrestrial radio networks ineffective. However, the mature terrestrial solutions are based on decades of real-world research and experience, proving their sustainability and reliability. Although not suitable for direct replication, it may be wise to take advantage of these proven solutions. With this in mind, it is valuable to study successful terrestrial approaches and evaluate their ability to support the harsh underwater environment, and to assess how procedures and algorithms can be adapted for efficient underwater communication. In this paper, we revisit frequently used Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols and discuss the challenges they face in the underwater environment. In addition, underwater challenges related to multi-hop data collection are discussed. To improve reception reliability in the highly dynamic underwater environment, we focus on broadcast solutions that are constrained to avoid network flooding. Location-based techniques are promising in this regard. Related to the MAC layer, underwater communication solutions should focus on preventing collisions at receiver, and reducing the time between packet receptions. Furthermore, machine learning techniques can give more intelligent and accurate decisions, and may provide more autonomous network operations. These techniques should be further investigated.

Pages: 18 to 28

Copyright: Copyright (c) to authors, 2022. Used with permission.

Publication date: June 30, 2022

Published in: journal

ISSN: 1942-2644