Scheduling Algorithms for IEEE 802.15.4 TSCH Networks: A Survey

Abstract

One of the most promising technologies to enable the future Internet of Things is the Time Slotted Channel Hopping (TSCH) mode, which reveals the robustness of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard by providing high reliability, low latency, and energy efficiency. TSCH has received a lot of attention from the researchers’ community. In fact, the TSCH specification had never provided how to build and maintain a schedule; therefore, several researchers devised new scheduling algorithms. This paper focuses on scheduling in TSCH networks. It starts with a gentle introduction to the IEEE 802.15.4 standard and the TSCH mode. It then surveys the State-of-The-Art scheduling algorithms, where algorithms are classified and compared. Each of the algorithms are then presented along with its pros and cons. Finally, weaknesses that need to be addressed are identified.