Multi-hop routing (or multihop routing) is a type of communication in radio networks in which network coverage area is larger than radio range of single nodes. Therefore, to reach some destination a node can use other nodes as relays.
Since the transceiver is the major source of power consumption in a radio node and long distance transmission requires high power, in some cases multi-hop routing can be more energy efficient than single-hop routing.
Typical applications of multi-hop routing:
- Wireless sensor networks
- Wireless mesh networks
- Mobile ad hoc networks
- Smart phone ad hoc networks
- Mobile networks with stationary multi-hop relays
References
Pešović, Uroš M.; Mohorko, Jože J.; Benkič, Karl; Čučej, Žarko F. (23–25 November 2010). "Single-hop vs. Multi-hop – Energy efficiency analysis in wireless sensor networks" (PDF). Srbija, Beograd: Telekomunikacioni forum TELFOR 2010. pp. 471–474. Retrieved 2 June 2017. http://2010.telfor.rs/files/radovi/TELFOR2010_03_42.pdf ↩
Fedor, Szymon; Collier, Martin (2007). "On the problem of energy efficiency of multi-hop vs one-hop routing in Wireless Sensor Networks" (PDF). 21st International Conference on Advanced Information Networking and Applications Workshops (AINAW'07). Retrieved 2 June 2017. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/11309673.pdf ↩