Towards optimal convergecast in wireless ad hoc networks

Sending data to a sink node is a crucial operation in wireless ad hoc networks serving humanitarian, environmental, industrial, military, or other purposes. While seemingly the inverse of broadcasting, this operation, known as “convergecast”, is more complex, because each node sends different data to the sink. Convergecast should minimize convergence time (i.e., the time at which the root hears from other nodes) and energy consumption, but since these two objectives are conflicting, most algorithms will set for one and disregard the other. In this paper, we propose a family of convergecast algorithms, called CHOPIN, offering a configuration parameter that explicitly trades convergence time for energy. Using closed-form analysis and simulation, we are able to show that CHOPIN can reach operation points that are either in, or very close to the Pareto frontier. This makes the network much more adaptable to changing external conditions.