Minimizing average interference through topology control

Abstract

Reducing interference is one of the main challenges in wireless communication. To minimize interference through topology control in wireless sensor networks is a well-known open algorithmic problem. In this paper, we answer the question of how to minimize the average interference when a node is receiving a message. We assume the receiver-centric interference model where the interference on a node is equal to the number of the other nodes whose transmission ranges cover the node. For one-dimensional (1D) networks, we propose a fast polynomial exact algorithm that can minimize the average interference. For two-dimensional (2D) networks, we give a proof that the maximum interference can be bounded while minimizing the average interference. The bound is only related to the distances between nodes but not the network size. Based on the bound, we propose the first exact algorithm to compute the minimum average interference in 2D networks. Optimal topologies with the minimum average interference can be constructed through traceback in both 1D and 2D networks. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.