Estimating the Number and Distribution of the Neighbors in an Underwater Communication Network

Here we present a procedure for estimating the number and distribution of neighbors (nodes withindirect transmission range) with a specified accuracy for an underwater communication network (UCN). The capture effect can degrade the performance of a neighbor-counting procedure, so our estimation procedure is based on a property that is not affected by the capture effect. The procedure for estimating the neighbor's distribution is derived with the help of the capture effect. The two procedures are carried out concurrently. The time taken for estimation is independent of the number of neighbors and the procedure is therefore suitable for networks of all sizes. We further show by a performance and sensitivity analysis that the procedure of estimating the distribution is robust and is applicable to both UCNs and terrestrial communications networks (TCNs).