Improved footprint modeling for wireless sensor networks

In order for a wireless sensor network to provide its requisite data, connectivity between nodes must be ensured. However, to date, the models used to analyze a sensor´s radio communication footprint have been overly simplistic and thus yield results not found in practice. In this article, a ´weak-monotonicity´ (WM) model is leveraged to represent a footprint´s non-isotropic behavior. In particular, the usability of the WM footprint in a log-shadowing propagation environment is considered through analysis and simulation. We then develop an enhanced footprint which overlays multiple WM patterns.