As part of the Center for Network Embedded Systems 2006 Summer Undergraduate Internship Program, our group of four students and one graduate student mentor was able to upgrade a radio testbed system to develop a model for radio distortion in directional antennas.
The locations for optimal data sensing are often suboptimal for wireless network communications. One possible solution would be the use of directional antennas. However, in order to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of directional communication in wilderness environments, a model of radio distortion, which is currently unavailable, must be developed. Directional antennas offer more energy efficiency in scenarios with sparsely connected nodes of fixed position and density, and a direct path of propagation. Also, the focused energy beams ensure a propagation path with increased range. A radio testbed system has been designed for the purpose of characterizing this distortion as a function of distance and direction, which will ultimately determine the potential of directional communication in sensor networks located in the wilderness.