On the Impact of Geometry on Ad Hoc Communication in Wireless Networks

In this work we address the question how important is the knowledge of geometric location and network density to the efficiency of (distributed) wireless communication in ad hoc networks. We study fundamental communication task of broadcast and develop well-scalable, randomized algorithms that do not rely on GPS information, and which efficiency formulas do not depend on how dense the geometric network is. We consider two settings: with and without spontaneous wake-up of nodes. In the former setting, in which all nodes start the protocol at the same time, our algorithm accomplishes broadcast in $O(D\log n + \log^2 n)$ rounds under the SINR model, with high probability (whp), where $D$ is the diameter of the communication graph and $n$ is the number of stations. In the latter setting, in which only the source node containing the original message is active in the beginning, we develop a slightly slower algorithm working in $O(D\log^2 n)$ rounds whp. Both algorithms are based on a novel distributed coloring method, which is of independent interest and potential applicability to other communication tasks under the SINR wireless model

Distributed Deterministic Broadcasting in Uniform-Power Ad Hoc Wireless Networks

Development of many futuristic technologies, such as MANET, VANET, iThings, nano-devices, depend on efficient distributed communication protocols in multi-hop ad hoc networks. A vast majority of research in this area focus on design heuristic protocols, and analyze their performance by simulations on networks generated randomly or obtained in practical measurements of some (usually small-size) wireless networks. %some library. Moreover, they often assume access to truly random sources, which is often not reasonable in case of wireless devices. In this work we use a formal framework to study the problem of broadcasting and its time complexity in any two dimensional Euclidean wireless network with uniform transmission powers. For the analysis, we consider two popular models of ad hoc networks based on the Signal-to-Interference-and-Noise Ratio (SINR): one with opportunistic links, and the other with randomly disturbed SINR. In the former model, we show that one of our algorithms accomplishes broadcasting in $O(D\log^2 n)$ rounds, where $n$ is the number of nodes and $D$ is the diameter of the network. If nodes know a priori the granularity $g$ of the network, i.e., the inverse of the maximum transmission range over the minimum distance between any two stations, a modification of this algorithm accomplishes broadcasting in $O(D\log g)$ rounds. Finally, we modify both algorithms to make them efficient in the latter model with randomly disturbed SINR, with only logarithmic growth of performance. Ours are the first provably efficient and well-scalable, under the two models, distributed deterministic solutions for the broadcast task.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1207.673

Deterministic Digital Clustering of Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

We consider deterministic distributed communication in wireless ad hoc networks of identical weak devices under the SINR model without predefined infrastructure. Most algorithmic results in this model rely on various additional features or capabilities, e.g., randomization, access to geographic coordinates, power control, carrier sensing with various precision of measurements, and/or interference cancellation. We study a pure scenario, when no such properties are available. As a general tool, we develop a deterministic distributed clustering algorithm. Our solution relies on a new type of combinatorial structures (selectors), which might be of independent interest. Using the clustering, we develop a deterministic distributed local broadcast algorithm accomplishing this task in $O(\Delta \log^*N \log N)$ rounds, where $\Delta$ is the density of the network. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first solution in pure scenario which is only polylog$(n)$ away from the universal lower bound $\Omega(\Delta)$, valid also for scenarios with randomization and other features. Therefore, none of these features substantially helps in performing the local broadcast task. Using clustering, we also build a deterministic global broadcast algorithm that terminates within $O(D(\Delta + \log^* N) \log N)$ rounds, where $D$ is the diameter of the network. This result is complemented by a lower bound $\Omega(D \Delta^{1-1/\alpha})$, where $\alpha > 2$ is the path-loss parameter of the environment. This lower bound shows that randomization or knowledge of own location substantially help (by a factor polynomial in $\Delta$) in the global broadcast. Therefore, unlike in the case of local broadcast, some additional model features may help in global broadcast

Downlink SDMA with Limited Feedback in Interference-Limited Wireless Networks

The tremendous capacity gains promised by space division multiple access (SDMA) depend critically on the accuracy of the transmit channel state information. In the broadcast channel, even without any network interference, it is known that such gains collapse due to interstream interference if the feedback is delayed or low rate. In this paper, we investigate SDMA in the presence of interference from many other simultaneously active transmitters distributed randomly over the network. In particular we consider zero-forcing beamforming in a decentralized (ad hoc) network where each receiver provides feedback to its respective transmitter. We derive closed-form expressions for the outage probability, network throughput, transmission capacity, and average achievable rate and go on to quantify the degradation in network performance due to residual self-interference as a function of key system parameters. One particular finding is that as in the classical broadcast channel, the per-user feedback rate must increase linearly with the number of transmit antennas and SINR (in dB) for the full multiplexing gains to be preserved with limited feedback. We derive the throughput-maximizing number of streams, establishing that single-stream transmission is optimal in most practically relevant settings. In short, SDMA does not appear to be a prudent design choice for interference-limited wireless networks.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communication

Data Dissemination in Unified Dynamic Wireless Networks

We give efficient algorithms for the fundamental problems of Broadcast and Local Broadcast in dynamic wireless networks. We propose a general model of communication which captures and includes both fading models (like SINR) and graph-based models (such as quasi unit disc graphs, bounded-independence graphs, and protocol model). The only requirement is that the nodes can be embedded in a bounded growth quasi-metric, which is the weakest condition known to ensure distributed operability. Both the nodes and the links of the network are dynamic: nodes can come and go, while the signal strength on links can go up or down. The results improve some of the known bounds even in the static setting, including an optimal algorithm for local broadcasting in the SINR model, which is additionally uniform (independent of network size). An essential component is a procedure for balancing contention, which has potentially wide applicability. The results illustrate the importance of carrier sensing, a stock feature of wireless nodes today, which we encapsulate in primitives to better explore its uses and usefulness.Comment: 28 pages, 2 figure