Table 1.
Comparison of underwater wireless communication technologies.
| Parameter | Acoustic | RF | Optical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attenuation | Distance and frequency dependent (0.1–4 dB/km) | Frequency and conductivity dependent (3.5–5 dB/m) | 0.39 dB/m (ocean) 11 dB/m (turbid) |
| Speed | 1500 ms−1 | 2.3 × 108 ms−1 | 2.3 × 108 ms−1 |
| Data Rate | kbps | Mbps | Gbps |
| Latency | High | Moderate | Low |
| Distance | more than 100 km | ≤10 m | 10–150 m (500 m potential) |
| Bandwidth | 1 kHz–100 kHz | MHz | 150 MHz |
| Frequency Band | 10–15 kHz | 30–300 MHz | 5 × 1014 Hz |
| Transmission Power | 10 W | mW–W | mW–W |