Cross‐Layer Solutions
Ian Fuat Akyildiz, Mehmet Can Vuran · 2010
The unique characteristics of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have motivated cross-layer protocols that include the functionalities of two or more layers in a single coherent framework. This chapter presents an overview of the motivations for cross-layer design by listing the interlayer effects and the corresponding challenges for layer protocols in multi-hop wireless networking. It then presents several approaches that combine two traditional protocol layers, i.e., pairwise cross-layering. These solutions are classified in terms of interactions among the physical (PHY), MAC, network, and transport layers. Finally, the chapter explains the cross-layer protocol (XLP) that merges several communication functionalities into a single coherent protocol module. XLP is based on the following major components: initiative concept; receiver contention; local cross-layer congestion control; angle-based routing; channel adaptive operation; and duty cycle operation. The chapter explains the details of these functionalities. Controlled Vocabulary Terms cross layer design; spread spectrum communication; Wireless sensor networks