CLTC: a cluster-based topology control for ad hoc networks

The topology of an ad hoc network has a significant impact on its performance in that a dense topology may induce high interference and low capacity, while a sparse topology is vulnerable to link failure and network partitioning. Topology control aims to maintain a topology that optimizes network performance while minimizing energy consumption. Existing topology control algorithms utilize either a purely centralized or a purely distributed approach. A centralized approach, although able to achieve strong connectivity (k-connectivity for k ≥ 2), suffers from scalability problems. In contrast, a distributed approach, although scalable, lacks strong connectivity guarantees. We propose a hybrid topology control framework, cluster-based topology control (CLTC) that achieves both scalability and strong connectivity. By varying the algorithms utilized in each of the three phases of the framework, a variety of optimization objectives and topological properties can be achieved. In this paper, we present the CLTC framework; describe topology control algorithms based on CLTC and prove that k-connectivity is achieved using those algorithms; analyze the message complexity of an implementation of CLTC, namely, CLTC-A, and present simulation studies that evaluate the effectiveness of CLTC-A for a range of networks.