RPLUW/M: Enabling RPL on the Internet of Underwater Things

TL;DR

This paper introduces RPLUW/M, a novel topology control platform based on RPL for underwater IoT networks, addressing unique underwater challenges and improving network efficiency through structural adaptations and mobility support.

Contribution

It models a new RPL-based topology control platform for underwater networks, supporting node mobility and optimizing network performance.

Findings

Increased network efficiency compared to recent methods.

Reduced overhead and increased node lifetime.

Enhanced support for underwater node mobility.

Abstract

With the widespread use of the Internet of Things, underwater control and monitoring systems for purposes such as ocean data sampling, natural disaster prevention, underwater surveillance, submarine exploration, and the like have become a popular and challenging topic in computers. So far, various topology control and routing solutions have been proposed for these networks. However, as technology expands and applications grow, so does the need for a stable underwater communication platform. On the other hand, underwater communication is associated with challenges such as node mobility, long propagation delays, low bandwidth, limited resources, and high error rates. In this research, for the first time, a topology control platform based on the RPL tree is modelled by applying its structural changes underwater. The proposed RPLUW methods in the case of RPLUWM fixed nodes are introduced to support the mobility of nodes underwater. Flexible objective functions, utilisation of decision-making systems, and application of control schedules in these methods have increased network life, reduced overhead, and increased node efficiency. The simulation results of the proposed method, in comparison with recent methods in this field, show an increase in network efficiency.