Implementation of bit error rate model of 16-QAM in aqua-sim simulator for underwater sensor networks

Abstract

Aqua-Sim is a simulator built on top of NS-S, is designed for Underwater Sensor Networks(UWSNs). It can be used to simulate acoustic attenuation signal and packet collision in UWSNs. Aqua-Sim supports three-dimensional deployment that doesn’t exist in the simulators developed for terrestrial wireless networks. Although this simulator doesn’t consider any signal modulation scheme. In this paper,we introduce the Bite Error Rate(BER) model of 16-QAM modulation scheme in Aqua-Sim. Also we consider the ambient noise resulting from different environmental noise sources such as turbulence, shipping, waves and thermal noise in 16-QAM BER formula. The consideration of such BER model instead of random bit error improve the reliability of routing protocols simulated in Aqua-Sim. That is shown in this paper through the simulations of Vector Based Void Avoidance routing protocol (VBF).