Heuristic optimization techniques for self-orientation of directional antennas in long-distance point-to-point broadband networks

A self-orientation system for a directional antenna is capable of determining the best orientation to receive the strongest wireless signal. In the event of two antennas being deployed randomly or deployed in a dense space where the effects of multipath and other wireless interference exist, efficient search algorithms are required to find the best orientation. Therefore, this paper presents four heuristic optimization techniques for the self-orientation of directional antennas in such events: Pattern Search method, Downhill Simplex method, DIRECT method, and Genetic Algorithm. The modification of each technique for this orientation problem is described, and the performance of each algorithm using different test cases with real world experiments is also described. From our study, we show that the Pattern Search method is the most suitable optimization technique for the self-orientation of directional antennas in long-distance point-to-point broadband networks.