Optimum Transmission Range for Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks

An optimum transmission range is presented to prolong the network lifetime for underwater acoustic sensor networks (UASNs). This study is based on the different definitions of the network lifetime and the character of underwater acoustic sensor. The formulation of the optimum transmission range is proposed by the tradeoff between minimizing the energy consumption in network and minimizing the maximum energy consumption in sensor node. Therefore, it provides not only a gauge for performance evaluation of UASNs but also a guideline for the design of UASNs protocols. The predicted results are compared with the measured data and the good agreement is reported.