Packet error rate optimization for routing algorithms in ad hoc wireless sensor networks

Over the last years, wireless multihop ad hoc networks have received a tremendous interest from research groups. The major focal point has been the routing protocols, i.e. how to select the best route to send information from any source to any destination. Each node in an ad hoc network may work as a router to relay connections or data packets to their destination. The key issues of ad hoc networking are medium access control, which is used to share common channel resources among wireless nodes, and the networking layer. In this work, we have implemented a routing protocol based on the multihop algorithm to transmit information from any source to any destination node. We have focused on an indoor wireless sensor network, where all the links between nodes follow a line-of-sight propagation model. Medium access control and physical layer have been implemented according to the IEEE 802.15.4 standard in the 2.45 GHz frequency band where information is modulated in O-QPSK. In multihop wireless networks, one important question is how does the route selection depend on the physical and logical topology of the network. In terms of routing there is a trade-off between between hop distance and reception rate. This compromise will give us the best route to minimize the power consumption and maximize the transmission success probability.