Communications performance of an undersea acoustic wide-area network

Abstract

The U.S. Navy is developing through-water acoustic communications capability for undersea, distributed systems. These wireless communication links form a wide-area network of fixed nodes consistent with future autonomous sensors on the seafloor. Mobile nodes may operate in the domain of the grid using the fixed nodes as both navigation reference points and communication access points. This thesis evaluates the experimental performance of such networked communications between an undersea vehicle and a ship. Physical-layer considerations include refraction, wind-induced ambient noise, and vehicle aspect angle.