Energy-aware topology control in heterogeneous wireless multi-hop networks

Topology control algorithms have been recently studied to reduce the energy consumption in heterogeneous multi-hop wireless networks. Instead of transmitting at full power, these algorithms seek to find the minimum power at which all the nodes should be transmitting while preserving the network connectivity. However, most existing topology control problems have been solved as range assignment problems, which neglect the fact that, in heterogeneous networks, devices have different characteristics. In this paper, we propose the residual energy aware dynamic (READ) topology control algorithm for heterogeneous wireless networks, which is solved as a power assignment problem. As such, READ considers the sensitivity of the receivers, the senders´ maximal transmission power, and the nodes´ residual energy to determine the final topology. The algorithm dynamically recruits the links that optimize the workload between different wireless devices while keeping the network connected. Simulation results demonstrate that READ can efficiently increase the network lifetime and the packet delivery rate when compared with R&M and LMST, two well-known position-based topology control mechanisms