A Simulation Framework for Smart Adaptive Long and Short-range Acoustic Networks

Underwater acoustic networks are characterized by long propagation delays, low data rates and a strong channel variability, that can cause the disruption of acoustic links. For this reason, the underwater network envisioned in the EDA SALSA project adapts its network and physical layer parameters, such as routes to destination, modulation and coding scheme and transmission frequency band, to the observed acoustic channel. Before the actual deployment, the network is analyzed and evaluated via simulations, interfacing the real-world GUWMANET network protocol implementation into the DESERT Underwater simulator, and developing a new time-varying physical layer where channel metrics obtained during a field-test campaign are mapped in the simulator in the form of lookup tables. The results demonstrate how the network performance changes when considering a different channel realization, confirming the importance of considering a time-varying channel when developing communication protocols for underwater acoustic networks.