On Adjusting Power to Defend Wireless Networks From Jamming

Wireless networks are susceptible to accidental or intentional radio interference. One way to cope with this threat is to have the radios compete with the jammer, whereby the network nodes adapt their transmission power to improve the chance for successful communication. In this paper, the authors examine issues associated with using power control both theoretically and experimentally. They begin by examining the two-party, single-jammer scenario, where they explore the underlying communication theory associated with jamming. They note that the effect of the jammer upon source-receiver communications is not isotropic. They then discuss the potential for improving communication reliability through experiments conducted using Mica2 motes, and in particular explore the feasibility of power-control for competing against jammers.