Review of the Cross-Layer Design in Wireless Ad Hoc and Sensor Networks

Due to the dynamic topology, limited resources and unpredictable channel conditions, the strict layered design is not flexible enough to cope with the wireless ad hoc and sensor network environment. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of difficulties in cross-layer design and the latest cross-layering approaches for wireless ad hoc and sensor networks. According to the number of layers involved in optimizations (single, multiple or full), cross-layer design can be primarily subdivided into layer trigger scheme with strict layering, joint optimization scheme cooperated between multiple layers and full cross-layer design sharing the overall network status.