McCTRP: A cross-layer tree routing protocol for multichannel wireless sensor networks

Single channel wireless sensor networks may be unreliable when the channel of choice is either unstable or interfered. Previous work has shown that multi-channel solutions could effectively improve network reliability and deliver higher throughput as well. While a number of multi-channel medium access control schemes have been proposed, there are not much work on routing protocol design addressing the unique challenges multi-channel schemes are facing. In this paper we present a multi-channel cross-layer tree routing protocol. Our contribution includes: Adaptive beaconing corresponding to network topology; Beacon-driven, send-data and receive-data driven link quality estimations; and synchronized MAC and routing table management. Our protocol has been implemented on a testbed consisting of 53 nodes deployed in a 5-story building. Experimental results show that our approach provides fast convergence rate, stable topology and over 99.8% data transmission reliability.