Network protocols for frequency-hop packet radios with decoder side information

Reliable data distribution within spread-spectrum packet radio networks requires high performance from the network protocols. This paper describes research in forwarding and routing protocols that are designed specifically for slow-frequency hop (SFH) packet radio networks in which some of the radios are subjected to excessive interference. It is shown that information extracted from the decoder can be used to aid the network protocols. New metrics are introduced that use this information to give a quantitative assessment of the interference environment experienced by the receiver in an SFH radio. Forwarding protocols are developed that can react quickly to local sources of interference, and the metrics that are introduced permit the routing algorithm to react to changes in the interference conditions in the network