Routing Protocols in Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks: A Quantitative Comparison

Abstract

Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks (UASNs) have drawn great attention for their potential value in ocean monitoring and offshore exploration. In order to make the underwater application possible, the unique characteristics of underwater acoustic channels and continuous node movement inspired the emergence of routing protocols for underwater environment. In this paper, we introduce and compare four prominent routing protocols proposed for UASNs, namely, H2-DAB, GEDAR, E-PULRP, and PER. Performances of the routing protocols are evaluated in terms of the average number of control packets, end-to-end delay, data delivery ratio, and total energy consumption. The impact of water currents on the routing algorithms is also analyzed in our simulation. Experimental results demonstrate that E-PULRP provides high data delivery ratio at the cost of end-to-end delay. H2-DAB has better real-time performance for minimal delay transmission. GEDAR efficiently addresses the problem of void region without introducing extra energy. PER requires the most control packets in the process of routing establishment. Our work aims to provide useful insights to select appropriate routing protocols to fulfil different application requirements in UASNs.