Energy-efficient middleware-layer multi-radio networking: An assessment in the area of service discovery

The massive deployment of mobile networks together with the emergence of powerful portable devices has given rise to pervasive computing environments. In such environments, mobile users may discover and access services offered in surrounding networks using Service Discovery Protocols (SDPs). However, several SDPs are currently in use, each one designed for a specific target network architecture and setting. As a result, in today's multi-radio networking environment, SDPs do not equally suit each radio interface. In order to provide effective service discovery in multi-radio networks, the most resource-efficient radio interface should be chosen with respect to two main criteria: the adequacy of the interface against the SDP to be used, and energy saving, which is crucial for battery-powered devices. Toward this goal, this article assesses how to effectively take advantage of the multiple radio interfaces now embedded within wireless devices with respect to energy consumption, from the standpoint of service discovery and access. It further investigates the adequacy of legacy SDPs with the various networks, so as to classify the most appropriate networks for each SDP. Exploitation of these results is finally investigated with the description of an energy-efficient algorithm for SDP-based context sensing in a multi-radio pervasive environment.