A Robust UWOC-assisted Multi-hop Topology for Underwater Sensor Network Nodes

Abstract: Underwater environment is substantially less explored territory as compared to earth surface due to lack of robust underwater communication infrastructure. For Internet of Underwater things connectivity, underwater wireless optical communication can play a vital role, compared to conventional radio frequency communication, due to longer range, high data rate, low latency, and unregulated bandwidth. This study proposes underwater wireless optical communication driven local area network UWOC LAN, comprised of multiple network nodes with optical transceivers. Moreover, the temperature sensor data is encapsulated with individual authentication identity to enhance the security of the framework at the user end. The proposed system is evaluated in a specially designed water tank of 4 meters. The proposed system evaluation analysis shows that the system can transmit underwater temperature data reliably in real time. The proposed secure UWOC LAN is tested within a communication range of 16 meters by incorporating multi hop connectivity to monitor the underwater environment.