Multi-mode relay simulations: An energy evaluation on WSNet

Relaying provides one of the most interesting solutions to reduce the energy consumption for both the terminals and the network. However, energy evaluation requires a high degree of realism. This paper introduces a realistic energy model to evaluate the energy consumption of multi-mode Software Defined Radios terminals, from a physical layer point of view. It explains the development of multi-mode modules for WSNet, a precise network simulator. It presents WSNet as a pertinent tool to evaluate the energy consumption of an 802.15.4-to-802.11g relay, and shows that multi-mode relaying does not always lead to energy reductions.