An Overview of Distributed Energy-Efficient Topology Control for Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

A wireless ad hoc network is composed of several tiny and inexpensive device such as wireless sensor networks (WSNs) which have limited energy. In this network energy, efficiency is one of the most crucial requirements. Data transmitting in minimum power level is one way of maximizing energy efficiency. Thus, transmission power level of nodes should be managed in a smart way to improve energy efficiency. Topology control is one of the main algorithms used in a wireless network to decrease transmission power level while preserving network connectivity. Topology control could improve energy efficiency by reasonably tuning the transmission power level while preserving network connectivity in order to increase network capacity and lifetime. In pursuit of energy efficiency and connectivity, nodes can be selfish and are conflicting with each other. Therefore to overcome the conflict, game theory is used to construct energy efficient topology, as well as minimizing energy consumption. In this paper, the main goal and most recent energy efficient topology control algorithms in WSNs and ad hoc network are classified and studied according to their specific goals.