Bob Kinicki's Current Research Profile

Wireless Sensor Networks

Networks of wireless sensors are being deployed in many diverse applications. To improve the effectiveness of wireless sensors, the TinyOS operating system as emerged as the OS used by most WSN researchers.

Power-Aware Wireless Protocols

To extend network lifetime, MAC layers for wireless sensors are being redesigned to minimize power usage. My research in this area involves both design of algorithms for clusters of sensors and investigating improvements to current power-aware wireless MAC protocols such as SCP-MAC and Crankshaft.

Rate Adaptation Algorithms for Wireless Networks

Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs)change transmission rates in response to wireless transmission losses. Current rate adaptation algorithms have difficulty distinguishing frame loss due to a poor wireless transmission environment from losses due to collisions caused by neighbor nodes and hidden terminals. Our research in this area has focused on trying to improve the CARA algorithm.

Infrastructure Wireless LAN Performance

Wireless LANs are frequently connected to the Internet through a wireless Access Point (AP) via a wired interface from an Internet Service Provider (ISP). The role and performance of the AP in light of current WLAN usage is an active research area. We remain active in trying to characterize and understand WLAN performance through active and passive wireless measurement techniques.

Home Wireless Networks

The use of WLANs in residential settings has blossomed. Our research involves AP algorithms to improve the quality of service for a community of typical residential wireless applications.

Performance of Multimedia Applications over Networks

Streaming multimedia has different quality of service issues than other Internet. applications.

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Last Modified: 2 September 2009
Robert E. Kinicki
rek@cs.wpi.edu