Implementation of a power-saving protocol for ad hoc wireless networks

Abstract

We describe the design and implementation of a power-saving protocol for ad hoc wireless networks. We present the Span power-saving protocol and discuss its implementation in the context of the Linux operating system. We address the issues of ad hoc routing, link layer design, and integration with the Linux networking stack using the 802.11b wireless link technology. From this thesis, we conclude that Span can be implemented on an 802.11b network with reasonable performance for most networking applications. Furthermore, our implementation of Span yields a lifetime improvement of between 12% and 29% at-each node in an ad hoc network. We argue that with additional hardware, Span can outperform conventional 802.11 ad hoc networks in terms of capacity, latency, and power savings.