A demonstration of frequency hopping ad hoc and sensor network synchronization method on warp boards

Abstract

Despite of the fact that the time synchronization is one of the main issues in frequency hopping mobile ad hoc networks (FH MANET) or time synchronous wireless sensor networks (TWSN), it seems to be a rarely issued research subject. In the former case a network wide time reference is needed in FH code phase synchronization and in the latter case, e.g., in time stamping of the sensed phenomenon. Herein, a previously developed, simulated and published (by the authors) network time and FH code phase synchronization method that is a MANET compliant is demonstrated in a real-time environment on wireless open-access research platforms (WARP). The time or FH code phase synchronization process consists of both initial synchronization and synchronization maintaining phases. The proposed initial decision making method is master free and based on node identifiers (ID) and local information that a node collects from the surroundings. The synchronization is maintained by regularly transmitted (and received) synchronization messages.