Using SNR to improve multi-hop routing

This paper analyzes the use of link quality, based on the Signal to Noise Ratio, as a metric to improve routing in multi-hop wireless networks. We compare the behavior and performance with those of other approaches, namely a simple minimum-hop selection process, as well as the Expected Transmission Count (ETX) metric, which has recently gathered relevant attention from the scientific community. We use a simulation based analysis, but we account for a realistic channel model, able to mimic the Gray Zones effect, which has been proven to have a great impact on wireless-based communications in general and over multi-hop topologies in particular. The results show that important improvements can be brought about by making use of the proposed metric to enhance route selection procedures.