Minimal transmission power as distance estimation for precise localization in sensor networks

Positioning sensor nodes requires distance information to reference points. Due to resource limitations in sensor networks, distance determination in low-cost sensor nodes without additional hardware is difficult. Known techniques such as distance estimation based on received signal strength (RSSI) are mostly inaccurate or have limitations. We propose a new method to measure the distance between a transmitting node and a receiving node using the minimal transmission power. The determined distance is more precise than RSSI, has a low variance and is therefore particularly suitable for positioning. Finally, we implemented a demonstrator application using weighted centroid localization to show the practical implementation.