Maintaining throughput network connectivity in ad hoc networks

Abstract

This paper focuses on the challenge of maintaining reliable connectivity in an ad hoc network, where interference is possible. To cope with such interference, the paper introduces throughput connectivity and weighted throughput connectivity. Throughput connectivity reflects the possibility of establishing communication between nodes for given a signal power level, while weighted throughput connectivity associates the throughput as a weight in the associated network graph. Throughput connectivity is less sensitive to network's parameters than the one based on weighted throughput connectivity. It makes maintaining throughput connectivity protocol less resource consuming (say, by sending less frequently channel state information (CSI)). Whereas, weighted throughput protocol is more efficient in power allocation due to employing a continuous scale in Laplacian matrix. To illustrate these notions, two approaches to maximize connectivity were considered: (a) an adaptive transmission protocol that re-allocates transmission power between nodes, and (b) detecting and eliminating a malicious threat to maintain accumulated connectivity over time slots. The first problem was modeled by a maxmin problem, and solved by Semi-Definite Programming. The second problem was modeled by a stochastic game and solved explicitly.