Data upload from a static Underwater network to an AUV: Polling or random access?

In this paper, we consider data uploading from a network of fixed sensors to a mobile Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). We approach the problem using both random and controlled access: in particular, we propose UW-Polling, a data retrieval protocol based on controlled access, and evaluate it against channel access protocols based on random access. We compare the performance of these protocols in terms of throughput, Packet Delivery Ratio and energy consumption, discussing the impact of the source power level on these metrics. Our results show that our polling-based protocol outperforms the other protocols in several cases, and thereby confirm that polling is an effective approach to enable AUVs to retrieve data from a network of fixed sensors.