On the Use of Cooperation as an Energy-Saving Incentive in Ad Hoc Wireless Networks

In this paper we show how cooperation can improve the overall energy efficiency of an ad hoc network. By exploiting a behavior-tracking algorithm inspired by the results of game theory and allowing traffic to be forwarded only towards cooperative nodes, we show how we can dramatically reduce power wastage at the same time maximizing goodput. Under this perspective, cooperation can definitely be seen as an incentive for all nodes, since it allows to optimize one of the most crucial parameters impacting the performance of ad hoc network