An ETX based positioning system for wireless ad-hoc networks

Abstract

RF-based localization has gained popularity because it offers low-cost positioning solution for ad-hoc networks. The Received Signal Strength (RSS) measured by a node has traditionally been used as a parameter to estimate location. However, RSS is not made readily available in the ad-hoc routing protocols like some other link quality indication parameter, e.g., Expected Transmission Count (ETX). ETX predicts the number of transmissions required to deliver a packet over a particular link, including retransmissions. We reveal that ETX can be shown as a proximity indicator relative to an anchor node (i.e., node with known position), and thereby, could also be utilized as a location estimation parameter similar to RSS. We implement a localization plugin for the popular ad-hoc routing protocol, Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR) based on ETX. Our analysis and experiments show favorable results. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.