  Low-power wireless networks play an important role in the Internet of Things.
Typically, these networks consist of a very large number of lossy and
low-capacity devices, challenging the current state of the art in protocol
design. In this context the Trickle algorithm plays an important role, serving
as the basic mechanism for message dissemination in notable protocols such as
RPL and MPL. While Trickle's broadcast suppression mechanism has been proven to
be efficient, recent work has shown that it is intrinsically unfair in terms of
load distribution and that its performance relies strongly on network topology.
This can lead to increased end-to-end delays (MPL), or creation of sub-optimal
routes (RPL). Furthermore, as highlighted in this work, there is no clear
consensus within the research community about what the proper parameter
settings of the suppression mechanism should be. We propose an extension to the
Trickle algorithm, called adaptive-k, which allows nodes to individually adapt
their suppression mechanism to local node density. Supported by analysis and a
case study with RPL, we show that this extension allows for an easier
configuration of Trickle, making it more robust to network topology.
