An LQI-Based Packet Loss Rate Model for IEEE 802.15.4 Links

Abstract

Packet loss rate (PLR) is a crucial and popular link quality metric for wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In this paper, we investigate how to estimate PLR of an IEEE 802.15.4 link from the information that is easily obtained from radio chip. Specifically, we aim to establish a generalized model that connects PLR to link quality indicator (LQI), a physical layer link quality measure, and packet length under diverse environmental conditions. To this aim, an extensive experimental study considering various environmental factors and packet lengths is conducted, from which rich observations are made on the spatio-temporal characteristics of the dependency of PLR on LQI and packet length. Based on the observations, we propose a packet loss rate model as a function of LQI and packet length, that is applicable in all experimented scenarios. Besides, a comparison with a literature LQI-only based PLR model shows that our proposed model has higher accuracy for various packet lengths. Finally, we provide the implications of the empirical study and the guidelines for real-world WSN applications to construct and adapt the proposed PLR model in different environments.