Multicast Traffic Throughput Maximization through Joint Dynamic Modulation and Coding Schemes Assignment, and Transmission Power Control in Wireless Sensor Networks†

The paper concerns multicast packet traffic throughput maximization in multi-hop wireless sensor networks with time division multiple access to radio channel. We assume that the modulation and coding schemes (MCSs) that are used by the (broadcasting) nodes as well as the transmission power of the nodes are adjustable. This leads to the main research question studied in this paper: to what extent traffic throughput can be increased by proper MCSs assignment and transmission power control (TPC) at the nodes? To answer this question, we introduce mixed-integer programming formulations for joint MCSs assignment and TPC optimization, together with a solution algorithm. Finally, we present a numerical study illustrating the considerations of the paper. The numerical results show a significant gain being achieved by proper MCSs assignment, which is further increased by applying TPC.