Interference power statistics in ad-hoc and sensor networks

There exist accurate calculation methods for estimation of interference power sum statistics in fixed-topology wireless networks based on the log-normal shadowing radio model. Here we publish essential additions to these estimation methods to expand their use to sensor networks and ad-hoc networks with changing topology. In our calculations we take into account radio propagation conditions, density of nodes, size of the network, traffic load per node and MAC protocol characteristics. The accuracy of our calculation method is verified by simulations. We highlight the influence of MAC protocols on interference and show that an increase in network size or in node density does not necessarily lead into higher interference values. Our results can be deployed to estimate the network capacity.