Modeling and performance analysis of multihop underwater optical wireless sensor networks

Underwater optical wireless networks (UOWNs) have recently gained attention as an emerging solution to the growing demand for broadband connectivity. Even though it is an alternative to low-bandwidth and high-latency acoustic systems, underwater optical wireless communications (UOWC) suffers from limited range and requires effective multi-hop solutions. Therefore, this paper analyzes and compares the performance of multihop underwater optical wireless networks under two relaying schemes: Decode & Forward (DF) and Amplify & Forward (AF). Noting that nodes close to the surface sink (SS) are required to relay more information, these nodes are enabled for retro-reflective communication, where SS illuminates these nodes with a continuous-wave beam which is then modulated and reflected back to the SS receivers. Accordingly, we analytically evaluate important performance metrics including end-to-end bit error rate, achievable multihop data rates, and communication ranges between node pairs. Thereafter, we develop routing algorithms for DF and AF schemes in order to maximize the end-to-end performance metrics. Numerical results demonstrate that multi-hop transmission can significantly enhance the network performance and expand the communication range.