Improving Synchronization Time in 6TiSCH Networks with Smart Antennas

The IETF 6TiSCH protocol aims to create reliable, stable, low-power and controllable latency IoT networks by allocating time slot and frequency channel resources between nodes in a planned manner. Smart and directional antennas increase the network performance due to their advantages such as transmitting over longer distances and being less subject to interference. Smart antennas can transmit/receive stronger in a certain direction, and ignore transmissions from undesired directions. However, due to the narrow coverage of the smart antenna, it is more difficult for nodes to synchronize with the network and recognize their neighbors compared to traditional omnidirectional antennas. In this study, a new message packet is defined for the 6TiSCH protocol and a mechanism is proposed for the nodes to recognize their neighbors before synchronization to the network. After running extensive tests, it is seen that the network synchronization time improved.