Experimental implementation of asynchronous rendezvous protocols using microsoft sora

In opportunistic networks, mobile devices can communicate with each other via connections between them that are not always available. After a device discovers another device in its transmission range, communication is enabled. Without any knowledge about geographical positions of mobile devices, neighbor discovery is energy consumption process. For example, continuous scanning is the fastest way to find neighbors but most mobile devices are battery-powered and cannot afford persistent scanning. So, neighbor discovery with minimal energy consumption is very important. Most neighbor discovery schemes adopt periodic sleep-wake scheduling associated with rendezvous capability. This means that each device just explores neighbors while they wake-up. Many rendezvous protocols have been proposed to reduce energy consumption. In this paper, we implement three promising asynchronous rendezvous protocols using Microsoft Research Software Radio (Sora) board and present the experimental results. Our experiment provides experimental insight into the implementation of rendezvous protocols in real situations.