Unraveling the Subtleties of Link Estimation and Routing in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless communication assumes complex spatial and temporal dynamics, thus estimating link properties is a basic element of routing in wireless networks. One commonly used approach of link estimation is letting neighbors exchange broadcast beacon packets, and then estimating link properties of unicast data transmissions via those of broadcast beacons. Nonetheless, there are significant differences between unicast and broadcast link properties, and it is difficult to precisely estimate unicast link properties via those of broadcast due to temporal correlations in link properties and dynamic, unpredictable network traffic patterns.