Over the last few years, novel architectures like ad-hoc and sensor networks have introduced new challenges in the way the communication infrastructure must be addressed. Unlike traditional approaches, these architectures require the complete self-organization of nodes as well as the support of mobility. A common problem encountered in such networks is the fundamental requirement of guaranteeing the connectivity between nodes. A number of network functionality have then to be reassessed, where two components must receive particular attention: topology control and node localization. In this paper, we survey the current state of the art for these domains and identify some open issues for future research and development.