The design and implementation of a low power ad hoc protocol stack

Low power consumption is a key design metric for wireless network devices that have limited battery energy. The problem of reducing power consumption needs to be addressed at every level of system design. This paper investigates the issues of designing low power protocols in the context of the PEN (Prototype Embedded Network) system, a mobile ad hoc network developed at AT&T Laboratories Cambridge. It describes the ad hoc protocols that have been implemented, outlining both the design of individual protocols and the structure of the overall stack. The power-relevant mechanisms from the various protocols are collated.