Editing Applications of Edge Computing (section)

===8.3.1 Unreliable Communication===
Building on the communication limitations introduced in Section 8.1.3, acoustic signals face not only high latency but also severe bandwidth restrictions. Here, we compare alternative technologies (optical/RF) and their tradeoffs.

# '''Limited Bandwidth & High Latency'''
:: Different communication strategies face different problems underwater.
:: Acoustic Communication has extremely low bandwidth (1–50 kbps) and high propagation delay (~1.5 sec/km) because of the low speed of sound underwater. And so, transmitting a 10MB sonar scan could take approx. 30+ minutes. Comparatively, optical communication has high bandwidth (in Gbps), low range (<100m) for transmission and requires clear water. Radio frequencies have an even limited range (<10m) and can only work in shallow waters.           
# '''Intermittent & Unreliable Links'''
:: Apart from bandwidth and latency issues, there are also problems such as surface wave disruptions due to which communication buoys lose connectivity in rough seas and dynamic topology (caused by constantly moving AUVs) leading to frequent network reconfigurations.